Long  Island  Historical  Society 


CARY  FUND 

Founded  in  1867,  by 

Mrs.  MARIA  CARY 

In  Memory  of  her  Husband 

WILLIAM  H.  CARY 


FOR  A  DEPARTMENT  OP 

AMERICAN  BIOGRAPHY 


WALTER  HINCHMAN  IN  1914 


t 

SKETCHES  &>  POEMS 


BY 


WALTER  HINCHMAN 

4k 


1 


1845-1920 


PREFATORY 


NOTE 


The  sketches  and  verses  of  Walter  Hinchman,  together  with  a 
few  biographical  notes,  are  printed  in  this  book  for  two  reasons.  In 
the  first  place,  his  life  was  typically  American.  Industrious,  laborious, 
thrifty,  he  exemplified,  as  did  so  many  of  his  rapidly  vanishing 
generation,  the  soundness  of  principle  and  stability  of  character  which 
are  among  our  dearest,  if  now  frequently  forgotten,  inheritances. 
In  the  second  place,  it  is  believed  that  his  many  friends  may  be  glad 
to  have  a  little  memorial  of  his  cheerful  spirit  and  active  mind. 


5 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/sketchespoemsOOhinc 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH 


Walter  Hinchman,  whose  life  covered  seventy-five  years  of  vivid 
activity,  lived  through  three  greatly  varying  eras  in  American  history. 
He  knew  in  boyhood  the  period  when  the  greater  part  of  the  country 
west  of  the  Mississippi  was  practically  a  wilderness,  and  when  the 
rest  of  the  country  was  in  its  first  stages  of  railroad  and  steamboat 
travel,  photographs  generally  unknown,  and  slavery  still  a  fact. 
During  his  middle  life,  scientific  discoveries  and  inventions  set  the 
stage  for  an  astonishing  material  development.  Finally,  after  experi- 
encing in  his  youth  the  terrible  years  of  the  Civil  War,  he  saw  in 
old  age  an  upheaval  which  in  large  part  overthrew  those  things 
which  had  been  laboriously  built  up  in  his  lifetime.  With  much 
justification  he  shared  the  view  of  so  many  of  his  contemporaries, 
that  it  was  "really  hard  to  see  where  it  all  might  be  leading  to." 
Yet  he  never  allowed  the  pessimism  which  he  felt  over  international 
affairs  to  make  of  him  a  gloomy  companion.  A  lover  of  outdoors, 
especially  in  the  spring,  he  was  instinctively  optimistic.  His  unfail- 
ing good  humor  and  kindliness  were  the  strongest  traits  in  his 
character. 

Born  July  25,  1845,  near  Doylestown,  not  far  from  Philadelphia, 
at  a  country  place  purchased  shortly  before  by  his  parents,  Walter 
Hinchman  was  the  son  of  Morgan  Hinchman  and  Margaretta  Shoe- 
maker. His  mother's  family,  which  had  settled  Shoemakertown,  now 
Ogontz,  came  to  this  country  in  1682,  and  the  old  Shoemaker  house, 
his  mother's  home,  now  called  'The  Ivy."  on  Old  York  Road,  is 
considered  by  many  antiquarians  to  be  the  oldest  house  where  Friends' 
Meetings  were  held  still  standing  in  the  United  States.*    When  still 

*  Richard  Wall,  whose  granddaughter,  Sarah,  married  George  Shoemaker, 
came  from  Cheltenham,  England,  some  time  in  1682,  hetween  the  4th  and  10  mos., 
certainly  as  early  as  Wm.  Penn,  if  not  before.  He  bought  six  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Cheltenham  township,  Philadelphia  County.  This  tract  later  became  known 
as  Shoemakertown,  now  Ogontz. 

"Thomas  H.  Shoemaker  says  in  writing  of  Richard  Wall,  'I  have  little  doubt 
that  he  built  his  home  of  stone  and  that  it  still  stands,  forming  the  rear  or  back 
buildings  of  Joseph  Bosler's  dwelling.  At  this  early  day,  before  Friends  had 
meeting-houses,  it  was  customary'  to  use  the  dwellings  of  members  of  the  Society 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  religious  exercises.'    .    .    .    The  meeting-house,  now 


7 


8 


a  little  boy,  he  moved  with  his  mother  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  saw 
much  of  his  uncle,  Isaac  Shoemaker,  whom  he  in  many  ways 
resembled.  A  bachelor,  a  wanderer  of  the  woods  and  helds,  and  a 
great  traveller,  Isaac  Shoemaker  sketched  constantly,  and,  no  doubt, 
instructed  his  young  nephew  in  the  art  of  the  pencil.  In  fact,  about 
the  only  instruction  he  received  in  sketching  was  from  his  Uncle  Isaac. 
Though  Americans  seventy  years  ago  had  some  tradition  of  drawing- 
brought  with  them  from  England,  they  were  really  unacquainted 
with  good  painting,  either  through  photographs  with  European  art, 
or  through  Japanese  prints  with  Oriental  art.  This  latter  art 
impressed  Walter  Hinchman  very  much  in  his  later  years,  as  some 
of  his  more  recent  sketches  show. 

Walter  Hinchman  had  his  early  schooling  in  Cincinnati,  first 
at  the  Friends'  School, ^then  for  a  while  at  Herron's  Seminary,  and 
afterwards  at  public  schools.  At  home  he  received  from  his  mother 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and,  since  he  had  an  unusually 
retentive  memory,  it  is  not  remarkable  to  those  who  knew  him  in 
later  years  that  he  was  rewarded  at  school.  On  the  fly  leaf  of  a 
little  Testament  is  written  :  "2d  Testimonial  'Presented  bv  Friends' 
First-Day  School'  to  Walter  Hinchman,  as  a  mark  of  esteem  for  a 
nearly  perfect  recitation  of  124  Scripture  verses  and  good  conduct 
during  the  exercises  of  the  class,  8  mo.  1859,  (1.  I).  Smith."  At  the 
age  of  eleven,  shy,  sensitive,  but  very  determined  and  wide-awake. 

known  as  Abington  Meeting,  appears  from  the  minutes  to  have  heen  completed  in 
the  sixth  month,  1700.  Many  marriages  recorded  in  Abington  Records,  between 
1686  and  1700,  were  in  meetings  held  at  the  house  of  Richard  Wall.' " — Genealogy  of 
the  Shoemaker  Family,  by  Benj.  Shoemaker,  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co. 

"The  chief  historical  interest  in  this  house  is,  therefore,  the  fact  that  it  was  one 
of  the  very  earliest  meeting-houses  in  Philadelphia  County  whose  location  can  with 
certainty  be  ascertained.  .  .  .  The  Boarded  Meeting-house,  erected  in  Phila- 
delphia the  latter  part  of  1682,  antedates  it,  but  its  location  is  unknown,  while  the 
Bank  Meeting  was  not  built  until  1685.  It  would  also  seem  that  Richard  Wall's 
house  was  the  oldest  meeting  place  of  the  Society  of  Friends  still  standing  on  this 
continent,  although  there  is  one  on  Cononicut  Island,  Rhode  Island,  which  has  some 
claim  to  this  distinction.  It  was  soon  made  a  Monthly  Meeting,  as  the  records 
show."  Sarah  Shoemaker's  "descendants  operated  the  mill  for  the  making  of  flour 
until  about  1846,  when  the  estate  was  sold  to  Charles  Bosler,"  whose  daughter-in- 
law,  Mrs.  Bosler,  still  runs  the  mill. —  The  Colonial  Houses  of  Philadelphia  and  Its 
Neighbourhood,  by  Harold  Donald  Eberlein  and  Horace  Mather  Lippincott.  Mrs. 
Bosler  says  that  the  ceilings,  now  covered  with  plaster,  in  the  older  part  of  the 
house  used  for  the  dining-room  and  kitchen  are  made  of  logs,  which  would  point  to 
the  early  origin  of  this  house. 


9 


10 


% 


*  *  *   *  *   *  M 


ON  SEVENTH  STREET,  BETWEEN  WALNUT  AND  VINE. 


MONTHLY  REPORT  .7/^ 
(9/  G^vut  cum/  g$e>me*a  Q<f{aU>       QyflP . 
fop  det  Q^tond  of        (Zff<^,        .  m/  de'J?^^' 


Deportment  

Spelling  

Heading  

Writing.  

Elocution  

Arithmetic  

English  Grammar... 
Political  Grammar. 

Geography  

Philosophy  

Latin  

Greek  , 

French  

German  

Algebra  

Geometry  

Physiology  

Geology  

Drawing  

Music  

Composition  

Chemistry  

History  


6  (I 

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3  0* 


Demerit  Marks 


PLAN  OF  MARKING. 


The  system  of  marking  runs  from  0  to  5  For 
perfect  compliance  with  the  Rules  each  pupil 
•laity  receives  S  credits  for  deportment  For 
evrry  violation  nl  Rules  one  is  taken  from  the 
merits  and  added  to  the  demerits  For  each 
perfect  le»»ou  the  pupil  receives  5  credits  For 
an  inferior  lesson  a  number  in  proportion  to  the 
merit  of  the  lesson.  If  the  pupil  is  detained 
for  an  imperfect  lesson,  he  receives  1  demerit 
mark 


Q4^/J  oj?  tvmed  fate/... 


/ 


&    &  8  8  * 

Every  pupil  is  expected  to  be  in  Lis  place,  at  tbe  reading  of  the  Scriptures  and  Prayer,  at  S>i  o'clock  in  the 
rooming,  and  at  2  o'clock  in  tbe  afternoon.  If  absent,  a  wiitten  excuse  or  permit  from  the  parents  or  guardian 
is  required.  If  be  wish  to  leave  before  tbe  close  of  the  School,  a  written  request  is  required.  If  a  pupil  be 
imperfect  in  a  lesson,  without  a  reasonable  excuse,  be  will  be  detained  after  school  to  study  that  lesson.  Each 
student  must  employ  at  least  one  hour  at  home  in  study. 

fl^PTarents  and  guardians  will  please  assist  in  having  the  above  rules  observed. 


it 


JOSEPH  HERRON,  Principal. 


ONE  OF  WALTER  HINCHMAN  S  CINCINNATI  SCHOOL  REPORTS 


11 


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he  was  sent  to  the  Friends'  Boarding  School  in  Richmond,  Indiana, 
now  Earlham  College. 

A  letter  from  his  mother,  dated  Cincinnati,  11  mo.  20,  1858. 
gives  an  interesting  glimpse  of  the  early  years : 

.  .  .  "Couldn't  thee  write  a  little  one  day  and  a  little  another,  so 
as  not  to  get  so  tired,  or  do  you  have  a  set  time  and  all  the  boys  write 
together?  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  you  have  such  poor  accommodation 
for  washing  yourselves;  do  all  the  rest  do  like  thee,  get  no  further  than 
the  face  and  hands?  This  way  wouldn't  suit  Uncle  Abram's  ideas! 
Well,  I  hope  the  house  will  be  done  before  long,  and  you  can  be  more 
comfortable,  but,  my  dear  child,  I  am  very  sorry  to  have  thee  speak 
about  the  principal  teacher  as  thee  does — why,  it  was  such  an  ugly  word 
that  I  didn't  read  it  out  to  Uncle.  I  have  always  thought  that  he  was 
very  much  liked  there  and  hope  when  thee  knows  him  better  thee  may 
feel  differently  about  him.  But  however  this  may  be,  never  forget  that 
it  is  thy  duty  to  be  obedient  and  try  to  accord  with  their  wishes,  though 
it  may  not  always  be  agreeable  to  thyself." 

Another  glimpse  reveals  in  the  following  little  incident  his  sensi- 
tiveness to  suffering,  as  well  as  his  appreciation  of  a  humorous  situa- 
tion. In  a  football  game  he  had  chanced  to  kick  an  opponent  rather 
roundly  on  the  shin,  and  the  boy  had  retired  to  the  stairs  to  nurse  his 
injury.  After  the  game  young  Walter,  fearing  he  might  have  really 
injured  his  opponent,  asked  him  with  some  solicitude  how  lie  was 
feeling.  "Better,"  was  the  rejoinder,  "better,  thank  thee,  damn  thee!" 

The  vacations  were  dearly  prized  in  a  day  when  school  term< 
were  long.  In  these  periods  he  had  an  opportunity  to  see  his  older 
brother  Charles,  on  vacation  from  another  school.  To  this  older 
brother,  tall  and  fearless,  as  he  was  small  and  timid,  he  looked  tip 
with  admiration  and  awe.  while  lie,  in  his  turn,  provided  entertain- 
ment for  his  two  younger  cousins,  the  children  of  his  uncle  Abram 
Taylor.  To  them  his  remarkable  agility  amounted  to  prowess,  while 
his  early  facility  w  ith  the  pencil  and  his  invention  and  dexterity  w  ith 
tools  produced  the  most  enticing  games  and  toys  before  their 
bewildered  eyes. 

It  was  during  one  of  his  later  vacations  that  he  must  have  made 
the  sketch*  illustrating  the  following  episode.  Dr.  Joseph  Taylor! 
and  two  of  his  cousins  start  ahead  for  a  drive  in  the  buggy,  while 

*  See  pp.  16  and  17. 

t  Joseph  Taylor,  brother  of  Abram  Taylor,  and  founder  of  Bryn  Mawr  College. 
See  p.  53. 


13 


14 


Walter  and  his  cousin  Sarah  follow  on  horseback.  The  strap  of  her 
saddle  gives  way  and  she  is  tipped  off  the  horse,  but  caught  hanging 
by  her  long  skirt  on  the  pommel.  Walter  runs  to  the  rescue  and 
demands  her  hair  ribbons  to  mend  the  strap.  This  done,  he  places 
his  hands  for  her  to  mount  and  raises  her  to  a  certain  height,  but, 
being  of  small  stature,  he  cannot  get  her  quite  up.  "Sally,"  he 
finally  says,  "I  can  hold  thee  here  all  day,  but  I  cannot  get  thee  an 
inch  higher."  The  difficulty  is  finally  solved  by  putting  the  horse  in 
the  ditch. 

One  great  joy  of  his  vacations  was  the  opportunity  to  follow 
up  his  interest  in  nature,  with  many  excursions  afoot  in  forest  or 
field.  It  was  a  delight  which  he  never  lost.  Many  years  later,  while 
he  was  living  in  New  York,  it  led  him  to  Central  Park  before  break- 
fast, or,  in  less  clement  seasons,  to  sketch  animals  at  the  Zoological 
Gardens,  and  he  never  tired  of  watching  the  doves  nesting  in  the 
towers  of  the  cathedral,  so  well  seen  from  his  hotel  window. 

At  Earlham  he  appears  to  have  been  a  bright  and  industrious 
boy,  but  his  passion  for  book  knowledge  received  noteworthy  impetus 
when  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  in  1862  and  went  for  a  short  time 
to  the  Hughes  High  School.  During  evenings  spent  devouring  the 
books  of  the  Mercantile  Library,  he  added  to  the  German  he  had 
acquired  at  school.  This,  his  first  foreign  language,  he  knew  thor- 
oughly. "I  well  remember,"  writes  one  of  his  cousins,  "our  Sunday 
reading  of  the  Scriptures  in  our  Cincinnati  home,  when  he  always 
translated  from  his  German  Bible."  His  hatred  of  Germany,  how- 
ever, as  a  result  of  the  Great  War,  prompted  him  just  before  his 
death  to  destroy  all  of  the  many  lyrical  translations  he  had  made 
from  the  German.* 

At  seventeen,  then,  Walter  Hinchman  had  added  to  the  back- 
ground of  a  good  home  the  advantages  of  a  sound  education  with 
developing  interests  in  nature  and  drawing.  The  opportunities  open 
to  him  were  not  artistic,  but  it  is  quite  conceivable  that,  in  other 
circumstances,  he  might  have  followed  either  a  naturalist's  or  an 

*  A  few  from  Scheffel's  Trompctcr  von  Sakkingen  (pp  248,  249,  etc.)  had 
been  kept  in  earlier  years  by  one  of  his  nieces. 


15 


16 


17 


BARN  DRAWN  BY  WALTER  HINCHMAN  AT  THE  AGE  OF  10 


DRAWING  BY  ISAAC  SHOEMAKER  OF  HIS  NEPHEW  DRAWING  THE  BARN  \  THE  BOY'S  DRAWING  ABOVE 

18 


artist's  calling.*  The  business  career  which  he  did  pursue,  as  a 
result,  perhaps,  of  both  his  environment  and  his  own  practical,  inde- 
pendent nature,  takes  on  added  interest  on  account  of  the  ten  years 
of  varied  activity  which  came  immediately  after  his  school  days  and 
which  equipped  him,  for  later  life,  with  an  experience  superior  to 
most  collegiate  training.  He  continued  to  study,  to  read,  and  to 
draw,  in  spite  of  a  ten-hour  working  day;  he  learned  to  observe  and 
to  record  accurately;  and  he  became  familiar  with  the  ways  of  men. 

His  first  business  venture  was  a  position,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
with  Morris  and  Frank  White,  Quakers  from  Carolina,  who  had 
freed  their  slaves  and  started  a  grocery  business  in  Cincinnati.  He 
once  laughingly  said  that  the  only  drawing  lesson  he  ever  had  was 
painting  labels  on  grocery  boxes.  This  position  with  the  Whites,  in 
1860,  must  have  been  during  a  vacation.  On  leaving  school  two 
years  later  he  was  anxious  to  get  into  a  machine  shop,  and  shortly 
after,  through  a  friend,  he  obtained  a  position  in  Springfield,  Ohio, 
as  the  following  letter  attests : 

Lagonda  Agricultural  Works 
Office  of  Warder  &  Child 
Springfield,  Clarke  Co.,  Ohio 

Octohkr  10,  1862. 

Walter  Hinchman: 

Dear  Sir. — My  nephew,  John  Warder,  has  applied  for  a  situation 
in  our  shops  for  you.  We  have  hesitated  for  the  following  reasons,  viz. : 
Very  few  young  men,  raised  as  you  have  been,  are  willing  to  endure 
the  drudgery  necessarily  incident  to  a  subordinate  situation  in  a  shop 
and  soon  feel  that  they  are  kept  at  work  which  in  no  way  advances  their 
knowledge  of  the  trade — is  tiresome  and  very  uninteresting.  This  has 
led  us  to  discourage  similar  applicants.  Another  reason  applies  to  your 
case,  viz. :  You  will  be  thrown  with  men  who,  although  they  are  above 
the  average  found  in  Western  shops,  as  to  habits  and  intelligence,  are 
not  fit  for  your  intimate  associates.  Not  because  they  are  mechanics,  this 
has  nothing  to  do  with  it,  but  because  they  have  never  enjoyed  the  refined 
home  associations  which  have  been  your  privilege,  and  which  every  young 
man  must  cling  to  and  cherish,  as  the  bond  which  connects  him  with  all 

*  The  fact  that  he  was  color-blind  may  have  had  a  deterrent  influence.  He 
was  color-blind  only  to  red  and  green,  however,  being  especially  sensitive  to  all 
shades  of  blue.  One  of  his  nieces,  on  being  once  presented  with  a  sketch  of  a  magenta 
tiger,  and  later  with  a  vermilion  tree,  always  after  that  extracted  the  reds  from 
the  color  boxes  which  were  given  him. 


19 


20 


that  is  noble  and  good  in  this  world.  Among  such  companions  as  you 
would  find  in  our  shops,  you  must  be  self-sustained,  and,  while  with  them, 
you  must  not  be  of  them.  This  is  a  more  difficult  task  than  may  at  first 
appear.  Except  John,  your  companionship  out  of  work  hours  must  be 
in  books. 

If  you  are  willing  to  look  these  facts  in  the  face  and  still  desire  a 
situation  similar  to  John  Warder's,  you  may  come  up  at  any  time.  The 
compensation  for  first  two  years  will  be  but  little  over  cost  of  boarding, 
washing,  etc.  I  may  add  that  I  am  desirous  to  have  a  suitable  companion 
for  John,  and  that  I  shall  feel  great  pride  if  you  both  make  skillful 
mechanics  and  successful  business  men. 

John  will  write  about  the  boarding  house. 

Very  respectfully, 

(Signed)    B.  H.  Warder. 

During  this  period  the  storm  of  the  Civil  W  ar  was  breaking. 
Although  the  Hinchmans  were  Quakers,  Walter's  oldest  brother  was 
serving  in  the  15th  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  a  young  lieutenant  of 
twenty,  under  General  Palmer.  He  himself  tried  to  enlist  early,  but 
was  refused  on  account  of  his  youth,  small  stature,  and  weak  eyes. 
He  did  serve  in  the  Springfield  Home  Guards,  however,  and  May  2, 
1864,  when  the  Hundred  Days'  Men  *  were  called  for,  he  was 
accepted.  He  joined  Hunter's  command  in  Virginia  as  a  corporal. 
The  work  assigned  to  Hunter  at  this  time  is  indicated  in  an  extract 
from  Grant's  order  to  Halleck,  May  25,  1864:  "If  Hunter  can  pos- 
sibly get  to  Charlottesville  and  Lynchburg,  he  should  do  so,  living 
on  the  country.  The  railroads  and  canal  should  be  destroyed  beyond 
possibility  of  repairs  for  weeks.  Completing  this,  he  could  find  his 
way  back  to  his  original  base,  or  from  about  Gordonsville  join  this 

*  President  Lincoln  had  accepted  the  offer  of  the  Governors  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Wisconsin  to  supply  each  a  certain  quota,  "the  term  of  service 
to  be  one  hundred  days;  the  whole  number  to  be  furnished  within  twenty  days; 
the  troops  to  be  armed,  equipped,  and  transported  as  other  troops,  but  no  bounty 
to  be  paid,  nor  any  credit  on  any  draft,  and  the  pending  draft  to  go  until  the  State 
quota  was  filled."  George  C.  Gorham,  in  his  Life  of  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  says: 
"Although  experience  had  shown  that  troops  raised  for  a  short  term  were  more 
expensive,  and  of  less  value  than  those  raised  for  a  longer  period,  these  troops  did 
important  service  in  the  campaign.  They  supplied  garrisons  and  held  posts  for 
which  experienced  troops  would  have  been  required,  and  these  were  relieved  so  as 
to  join  the  armies  in  the  field.  In  several  instances  the  three  months'  troops,  at 
their  own  entreaty,  were  sent  to  the  front,  and  displayed  their  gallantry  in  the  hardest 
battles  of  the  campaign." — Life  and  Public  Services  of  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  by 
George  C.  Gorham. 


21 


army."  Hunter  was  successful  at  first,  and  on  June  16th  he  reached 
and  invested  Lynchburg,  but  a  counter-movement  by  Lee  forced  him 
not  only  to  retire,  but  to  retire  by  way  of  Kanawha.  "This  lost  to 
us  the  use  of  his  troops  for  several  weeks  from  the  defense  of  the 
North."* 

The  grim  character  of  the  warfare  seen  by  Corporal  Hinchman 
is  indicated  by  Hunter's  report:  f  "On  the  12th  I  also  burned  the 
Virginia  Military  Institute  and  all  the  buildings  connected  with  it. 
I  found  here  a  violent  and  inflammatory  proclamation  from  John 
Letcher,  lately  Governor  of  Virginia,  inciting  the  population  of  the 
country  to  rise  and  wage  guerilla  warfare  on  my  troops,  and,  ascer- 
taining that  after  having  advised  his  fellow-citizens  to  this  course  the 
ex-Governor  had  himself  ignominiously  taken  to  flight,  I  ordered  his 
property  to  be  burned  under  my  order,  published  May  24th,  against 
persons  practicing  or  abetting  such  unlawful  and  uncivilized  war- 
fare." "The  unsparing  hand  of  Hunter"  is  the  phrase  used  in  Long's 
Lee  (p.  355)  to  characterize  the  expedition.  After  the  failure  before 
Lynchburg,  the  force  had  a  hard  time  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia , 
their  supplies  were  cut  off  and  they  nearly  starved  to  death. 

Mustered  out  September  5,  1864,  Walter  Hinchman  returned 
to  Cincinnati  and  soon  obtained  employment  in  the  machine  shop  of 
I.  and  E.  Green wald.  %  Here  he  worked  till  1866,  when  he  moved 
to  Philadelphia  and  took  a  position  in  Sellers'  machine  shop.  Though 
he  worked  at  a  lathe  during  a  ten-hour  day,  he  studied  draughting 
as  well  as  German  in  the  evening.  Years  later,  when  he  could  laugh 
at  the  pride  which  temporarily  put  him  in  a  difficult  position,  he  gave 
the  following  account  of  these  days.  With  his  never-failing  desire 
to  draw,  and  doubtless  with  an  ambition  to  better  his  condition,  he 
resigned  his  lathe  job  and  applied  for  work  in  the  draughting  room. 
Not  accepted  there,  he  found  himself  on  the  street  without  a  job. 
Shops  were  at  that  time  cutting  down  on  account  of  the  contraction 
of  business  after  the  war,  and  he  wandered  from  shop  to  shop  with- 
out finding  an  available  position.  Too  proud  to  return  to  Sellers', 
the  foreman  of  which  he  knew,  and  unwilling  to  appeal  to  his  brother, 

*  Genl  Jmbodcn's  Account  of  Hunter's  Raid,  p.  485-6. 
f:Q.  R.,  vol.  xxxvii,  part  I,  p.  97. 

t  Many  of  his  sketches  are  of  his  co-lahorers  at  Greenwald's.    See  pp.  74-79 


22 


23 


now  an  officer  of  the  Pennsylvania  Steel  Company,  he  soon  found 
himself  nearly  at  the  end  of  his  resources.  Sometime  earlier  he  had 
noticed  in  a  Quaker  periodical  an  advertisement  which  ended  with 
the  singular  sentence,  "1  want  a  horn-book."  As  he  had  never  heard 
of  a  horn-book,  he  had  looked  up  the  meaning  of  the  word,  and  the 
advertisement  had  thus  been  impressed  on  his  mind.  He  now  recalled 
that  the  advertiser,  one  Jonathan  Dennis,  wanted  a  draughtsman  to 
work  on  drawings  for  patents  in  Washington.  The  singular  Dennis, 
in  reply  to  young  Hinchman's  application  for  the  position,  asked  him 
to  draw  an  apple-parer.  As  unfamiliar  with  apple-parers  as  he  was 
with  horn-books,  Hinchman  was  lucky  enough  to  find  one  at  a  hard- 
ware shop  ;  he  drew  it  and  sent  the  drawing  on  to  Washington.  He 
soon  received  a  reply  accepting  him.  By  this  time  he  had  just  enough 
money  left  for  the  trip. 

In  Washington  he  found  that  his  employer  was  a  sort  of  patents 
jobber,  old,  and  practically  quitting  business,  but  a  kindly  Quaker 
withal,  who  gave  him  shelter  and  took  him  Sundays  to  meeting. 
After  a  few  weeks,  Dennis  generously  told  him  that  he  could  do 
better  in  a  bigger,  more  vigorous  concern  and  kindly  offered  to  rec- 
ommend him.  In  this  way  he  got  a  position  in  the  Government 
Patents  Office.  The  first  drawings  that  he  made  were  not  considered 
satisfactory,  but  he  begged  his  employers  to  try  him  for  a  week  with- 
out pay.  Largely  self-taught  in  mechanical,  as  well  as  in  freehand 
drawing,  he  had  not  realized  that  in  good  mechanical  drawing  every 
detail  must  be  measured  with  compasses  or  calipers  to  the  difference 
of  a  hair's  breadth.  He  had  been  accustomed  to  drawing  relatively 
unimportant  lines  freehand,  but  a  few  glances  over  the  shoulders  of 
other  men  as  they  worked  taught  him  the  right  way,  and  within  the 
week  he  was  accepted  as  a  skilled  draughtsman. 

He  did  not  stay  long  in  this  position,  however,  for  his  brother 
Charles  early  in  1867  obtained  the  opportunity  for  him  through  Gen- 
eral William  J.  Palmer,  a  railroad  promoter  and  builder,  who  was 
planning  a  railroad  through  to  the  Pacific,  to  join  a  party  of  about 
fifty  people,  called  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Excursion.*  This 

*  "In  the  spring  of  1867  a  very  extensive  surveying  expedition  was  organized 
by  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railway  Company  (formerly  called  The  Union  Pacific 
Railway,  Eastern  Division)  in  order  to  determine  upon  the  best  route  for  a  southern 
railway  to  the  Pacific  Coast  through  Kansas.  Colorado.  New  Mexico.  Arizona. 


24 


GENERAL  WILLIAM  J.  PALMER 

25 


Portrait  by  Herkomer 


the  first  survey  for  a  railroad  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  covered  much  of 
the  ground  over  which  the  Southern  Pacific  was  later  built,  though  a 
more  northern  route  (Union  Pacific)  was  the  one  first  followed. 
The  expedition  left  Philadelphia  for  St.  Louis  on  May  31,  1867. 

This  surveying  expedition  would  merit  what  might  seem  dispro- 
portionate attention  because  of  its  own  picturesque  story.  The  larger 
part  of  the  journey  lay  through  not  only  unbroken  country,  but 
country  which  varied  from  the  plains  of  Kansas  to  the  deserts  and 
canons  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico;  and  at  certain  points  hostile 
Indians  rendered  advance  exciting,  sometimes  peri  Aus.  In  an  account 
of  the  life  of  Walter  Hinchman,  moreover,  the  joirney  has  particu- 
lar significance,  for  on  it  he  had  experiences  and  made  friendships 
which  in  large  measure  determined  his  whole  bi  siness  life.  The 
story  of  the  expedition  is  graphically  told  by  Dr.  William  A.  Bell, 
photographer  of  the  party. 

"From  1820  to  1830,"  Dr.  Bell  says,  p.  4,  "the  tide  of  emigration 
gradually  crept  westward,  until  at  last,  between  1830  and  '35,  the  dis- 
covery of  the  enormous  agricultural  value  of  the  prairie  regions,  which 
occupy  so  large  a  portion  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  Mississippi  basin, 
caused  the  wave  of  emigration  to  pass  like  a  flood  over  all  that  country. 
Chicago  was  unborn,  and  the  great  Northwest  was  almost  unknown,  when 
St.  Louis  became  the  outlet  for  the  produce  of  the  western  prairie 
farmer." 

"From  St.  Louis,  the  starting  point"  (Dr.  Bell,  p.  16),  "we  went 
by  rail  to  Salina  (Kansas),  the  terminal  depot  at  that  time  of  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Railway.  At  this  point,  471  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi,  we 
exchanged  the  locomotive  for  the  mule  train,  and  marched  due  west  over 
a  sea  of  grass  for  216  miles  to  Fort  Wallace,  a  military  post  on  the  borders 
of  the  State  of  Colorado." 

"About  the  railroad  station  (at  Salina),  and  on  each  side  of  the  line 
for  some  distance,"  he  says,  p.  21,  "lay  pile  after  pile  of  the  munitions, 
not  of  war,  but  of  peace — iron  rails,  oaken  ties,  cradles  and  pins,  con- 
tractors' cars,  little  houses  on  wheels,  trucks  innumerable,  both  empty 
and  full — while  at  the  opposite  side  of  the  town  our  picturesque  little 

and  the  southern  part  of  California.  Until  the  Rio  Grande  del  Norte  (about  equi- 
distant from  the  Mississippi  and  the  Pacific)  had  been  reached,  three  separate 
surveying"  parties  were  required ;  but  between  that  river  and  the  Pacific  Coast,  no 
less  than  five  parties,  each  capable  of  making  an  accurate  instrumental  survey,  were 
employed.  .  .  .  The  United  States  Government,  by  furnishing  escorts  and  trans- 
portation, rendered  assistance  without  which  such  an  undertaking  would  at  that 
time  have  been  impossible." — Nczc  Tracks  in  North  America,  Dr.  Win,  A.  Bell, 
1869. 


26 


camp  of  twenty  wall  tents,  formed  in  a  square  and  flanked  by  our  wagons 
and  ambulances,  lay  peaceful  and  cool  on  the  short  green  sward. 

"Our  chief.  General  W.  W.  Wright,  who  had  already  gained  for 
himself  lasting  laurels  by  the  manner  in  which  he  had  conducted  the 
railroad  operations  of  Sherman's  march  through  Georgia,  made  Salina 
the  rendezvous  for  all  our  parties.  Here  many  of  us  met  for  the  first 
time,  and  the  fortnight's  sojourn,  spent  in  completing  our  organization 
and  waiting  for  the  weather,  passed  pleasantly  by." 

To  leave  Dr.  Bell  for  a  moment  and  quote  from  an  early  letter 
of  Walter  Hinchman : 

Salina,  Kansas,  June  7,  1867. 

Dear  Brother  : 

The  excursion  part}'  arrived  at  this  point  yesterday  and  I  was  glad 
to  find  Gen.  Wright  and  party  still  here.  1  am  now  fairly  installed  as 
one  of  the  company,  and  have  been  very  busy  today  finding  what  things 
I  had  and  where  they  were,  some  being  loaded  and  others  in  camp,  etc. 
We  have  a  good  many  jackasses  here  who  do  not  pull  the  wagons,  they 
think  because  they  are  some  Senator's  son  that  they  are  a  little  above 
the  ordinary  folks,  and,  as  we  have  scarcely  any  discipline,  thee  can 
imagine  the  worry  of  issuing  ordnance  to  a  crowd  who  want  to  choose 
each  one  for  himself,  and  have  never  learned  the  soldier's  first  duty— to 
obey.  We  have  Spencer  rifles  and  Remington  revolvers,  so  1  will  send 
thy  "Colt"  home  by  Mr.  Browne,  of  the  excursion  party,  who  has  kindly 
offered  to  take  it.  I  would  also  send  the  ammunition,  but  Mr.  B.  pref erred 
not  to  take  it. 

Instead  of  the  ride  over  the  plains,  which  1  had  been  promising 
myself,  we  are  to  walk  all  the  way  and  will  probably  be  out  two  years. 

I  think  I  shall  like  it;  have  been  congratulated  by  (  apt.  Blair,  our 
Q.  M.,  who  says  he  knew  thee,  on  having  a  good  "posish."  tor  which  1 
have  to  thank  my  dear  brother.  We  are  loading  up  to  start  tomorrow 
morning  and  I  write  in  great  haste  to  send  by  Mr.  Browne,  who  leaves 
tonight. 

With  love,  I  am,  as  ever, 

Thy  bro., 
W  If. 

To  return  to  Dr.  Bell  (p.  30)  : 

"We  left  Fort  Harker  on  the  morning  of  the  11th.  and.  three  miles 
beyond,  passed  through  Ellesworth  [Kansas],  a  wonderful  place,  having 
seven  or  eight  'stores,'  two  hotels,  fifty  houses  of  other  kinds,  occupied 
by  nearly  a  thousand  persons,  and  yet  just  one  month  old.  Six  weeks 
ago  the  wild  buffalo  was  roaming  over  its  site,  and  the  Indians  scalped 
a  foolish  soldier  whom  they  caught  sleeping  where  the  new  schoolhouse 
now  stands.    The  day  of  the  buffalo  and  Indian  have  passed  forever; 


27 


never  again  will  the  one  graze,  or  the  other  utter  a  war  whoop  on  this 
spot." 

(Page  33)  :  "We  had  no  sooner  found  ourselves  in  the  land  of  the 
antelope  and  the  buffalo,  beyond  the  little  'cities,'  and  out  of  hearing  of 
the  locomotive,  than  Indian  troubles  began  to  cast  their  shadows  around 
us,  deeper  and  deeper,  as  we  moved  forward. 

"Never  before  had  hostility  to  the  pale-face  raged  so  fiercely  in  the 
hearts  of  the  Indians  of  the  plains,  and  never  had  so  large  a  combination 
of  tribes,  usually  at  war  with  each  other,  been  formed  to  stop  the  advance 
of  the  road-makers.  From  Dakota  to  the  borders  of  Texas  every  tribe, 
save  the  Utes,  had  put  on  war  paint  and  had  mounted  their  war  steeds. 
Reports  came  from  the  north  that  the  Crows  and  Blackfoots  had  made 
friends  with  the  Sioux,  and  from  the  south  that  the  Cheyennes  and 
Arapahoes,  the  Kiowas  and  Comanches,  had  been  seen  in  large  bodies 
crossing  the  Arkansas  and  moving  northward.  The  horrors  of  the  last 
summer  were  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  frontier  men,  who  remembered 
many  a  comrade  scalped  by  the  red-skins.  They  laughed  at  the  treaties 
of  the  Fall,  at  General  Sherman's  councils,  and  Samborn's  wagon-trains 
laden  with  gifts.  They  said,  'Wait  till  the  spring,  till  the  frost  is  out 
of  the  ground,  and  the  grass  is  green  and  abundant,  and  then  see  then  how 
the  savages  will  keep  their  treaties.'  This  season  had  arrived  and  the 
Indian  horizon  looked  blacker  than  ever.  The  Fort  Kearney  [Nebraska] 
massacre,  in  which  some  of  the  wives  of  the  officers  were  brutally  mur- 
dered, and  the  energetic  demands  of  the  railway  company  on  the  State  had 
resulted  in  a  considerable  military  force  being  sent  into  Nebraska  to 
protect  the  road  to  Salt  Lake.  This  had  the  effect  of  driving  many 
additional  bands  of  Indian  warriors  southward  to  harass  the  poorly 
guarded  route  along  the  Smoky  Hill  Fork  [Kansas]." 

On  Sunday,  June  24th,  General  Wright  and  party  arrived  at 
Fort  Wallace  [Kansas],  where  General  Hancock  and  Major  Calhoun 
had  preceded  them.  The  party  from  Philadelphia  received  a  hospitable 
welcome,  but  found  that  the  fort  had  been  the  scene  of  an  attack 
from  the  Indians  the  clay  before.  Four  men  killed  and  four  wounded. 
Sunday  was  calm,  but  to  continue  from  Dr.  Bell : 

(Page  58)  :  "Peace  did  not  last  long,  however,  for  early  dawn 
brought  the  red-skins  back  again.  They  were  evidently  ignorant  of  the 
fresh  reinforcements,  and  came  determined  this  time  to  take  the  fort  and 
repeat  in  all  its  horrors  the  Fort  Kearney  massacre.  Pond  Creek  Station 
was  the  first  point  of  attack,  but,  as  usual,  this  little  fortress — for,  in 
fact,  it  was  quite  a  stronghold  in  its  way — proved  too  much  for  them. 
They  succeeded  in  stampeding  four  of  the  stage-horses,  and  almost  the 
first  intimation  received  at  the  fortress  of  an  attack  was  brought  by  these 
horses  galloping  straight  towards  us,  two-and-two,  exactly  in  the  same 


28 


order  as  they  were  accustomed  to  be  driven.  One  was  bleeding  from  a 
wound  in  the  hind  leg,  another  had  been  shot  in  the  neck.  The  Indians 
followed  on  their  horses,  whooping  and  yelling  like  a  host  of  demons. 
Without  a  moment's  delay  a  dozen  cavalry  from  the  fort,  united  with 
some  thirty-five  of  our  escort  and  led  by  our  officer,  Captain  Barnitz, 
were  in  the  saddle.  The  bugle  sounded,  and  out  they  went  across  the 
open  plain.    .    .  . 

"At  the  first  cry  of  'Indians!'  we  were  all  out  of  our  tents,  rifle  in 
hand.  My  friend,  Walter  Hinchman,  Criley,  our  carpenter,  and  myself 
started  immediately  for  a  ravine  about  two  miles  off  on  the  right,  which 
formed  a  covered  approach  of  six  miles  or  more  in  length,  leading  in 
the  direction  of  our  camp.  General  Wright  very  wisely  detained  the 
rest  of  the  party  in  camp  to  defend  it  in  case  of  attack  while  the  cavalry 
were  away.  Finding  no  Indians  advancing  along  the  ravine  we  returned 
to  breakfast,  feeling  it  undesirable  to  go  farther  unprotected  and  alone. 
Two  hours  of  great  suspense  followed,  which  was  not  much  relieved  by 
the  appearance  of  a  horseman  from  the  field  of  action,  who  came  to  get 
an  ambulance  for  the  dead  and  wounded. 

"No  sooner  had  the  cavalry  followed  the  retiring  band  beyond  the 
ridge,  exchanging  shots  and  skirmishing  all  the  way,  than  on  either  flank 
two  fresh  bodies  of  warriors  suddenly  appeared.  They  halted  for  a  few 
minutes;  a  powerful-looking  warrior,  fancifully  dressed,  galloped  along 
their  front  shouting  out  directions;  and  then,  like  a  whirlwind,  with  lances 
poised  and  arrows  on  the  string,  they  rushed  on  the  little  band  of  fifty 
soldiers.  The  skirmishers  fired  and  fell  back  on  the  line,  and  in  an  instant 
the  Indians  were  amongst  them.  Mow  the  tide  was  turned.  Saddles 
were  emptied  and  the  soldiers  forced  back  over  the  ground  towards  the 
fort.  The  bugler  fell,  pierced  by  five  arrows,  and  was  instantly  seized 
by  a  powerful  warrior,  who,  stooping  down  from  his  horse,  hauled  him 
up  before  him,  cooly  stripped  the  body,  and  then,  smashing  the  head  of 
his  naked  victim  with  his  tomahawk,  threw  him  on  the  ground  under  his 
horse's  feet.  On  the  left  of  our  line  the  Indians  pressed  heavily,  cutting 
off  five  men,  among  them  Sergeant  Frederick  Wylyams.  With  his  little 
force,  this  poor  fellow  held  out  nobly  till  his  horse  was  killed,  and  one 
by  one  the  soldiers  fell,  selling  their  lives  dearly.  The  warrior  who 
appeared  to  lead  the  band  was,  up  to  this  time,  very  conspicuous  in  the 
fight,  dashing  back  and  forth  on  his  grey  horse,  and  by  his  actions  set- 
ting an  example  to  his  warriors.  In  the  melee,  however,  one  of  our 
cavalry  men  was  thrown  to  the  ground  by  the  fierceness  of  the  Indian 
onslaught,  when  this  leader,  who  I  have  since  learned  was  the  famous 
Cheyenne  war-chief  Roman-nose,  attacked  the  prostrate  man  with  his 
spear.  Corporal  Harris,  of  'G'  company,  was  near  him,  and  struck 
Roman-nose  with  the  sabre  which  he  held  in  his  left  hand.  Quick  as 
thought  the  chief  turned  on  him,  but  as  he  did  so  the  faithful  'Spencer' 


29 


a 


30 


of  the  corporal  met  his  breast,  and,  with  the  blood  pouring  from  his 
mouth,  Roman-nose  fell  forward  on  his  horse,  never  again  to  lead  his 
'dog-soldiers'  on  the  warpath.  By  this  time,  it  was  more  than  evident 
that  on  horseback  the  soldiers  were  no  match  for  the  red-skins.  Most 
of  them  had  never  been  opposed  to  Indians  before;  many  were  raw 
recruits,  and  their  horses  became  so  dreadfully  frightened  at  the  yells 
and  the  smell  of  the  savages  as  to  be  quite  unmanageable.  So  Captain 
Barnitz  gave  the  order  to  dismount. 

"When  the  dismounted  cavalry  commenced  to  pour  a  well-directed 
valley  from  their  Spencers,  the  Indians  for  the  first  time  wavered  and 
began  to  retire.  For  two  hours  Captain  Barnitz  waited  with  his  thinned 
ranks  for  another  advance  of  the  Indians,  but  they  prudently  held  back, 
and,  after  a  prolonged  consultation,  retired  slowly  with  their  dead  and 
wounded  beyond  the  hills  to  paint  their  faces  black  and  lament  the  death 
of  one  of  the  bravest  leaders  of  their  inhuman  race. 

"I  have  seen  in  days  gone  by  sights  horrible  and  gory — death  in  all 
its  forms  of  agony  and  distortion — but  never  did  I  feel  the  sickening 
sensation,  the  giddy,  fainting  feeling  that  came  over  me  when  1  saw 
our  dead,  dying  and  wounded  after  this  Indian  fight.  A  handful  of  men, 
to  be  sure,  but  with  enough  wounds  upon  them  to  have  slain  a  company 
if  evenly  distributed.    .    .  . 

"As  I  have  said,  almost  all  the  different  tribes  on  the  plains  had 
united  their  forces  against  us,  and  each  of  these  tribes  has  a  different 
sign  by  which  it  is  known. 

"The  sign  of  the  Cheyenne,  or  'Cut  arm,'  is  made  in  peace  by  draw- 
ing the  hand  across  the  arm.  to  imitate  cutting  it  with  a  knife;  that  of 
the  Arapahoe,  or  'Smeller  tribe,'  by  seizing  the  nose  with  the  thumb  and 
forefinger;  of  the  Sioux,  or  'Cut-throat,'  by  drawing  the  hand  across  the 
throat.  The  Comanche,  or  'Snake  Indian,'  waves  his  hand  and  arm  in 
imitation  of  the  crawling  of  a  snake ;  the  Crow  imitates  with  his  hands 
the  flapping  of  wings;  the  Pawnee,  or  'Wolf  Indian.'  places  two  fingers 
erect  on  each  side  of  his  head,  to  represent  pointed  ears ;  the  Blackfoot 
touches  the  heel  and  then  the  toe  of  the  right  foot,  and  the  Kiowa's  most 
usual  sign  is  to  imitate  the  act  of  drinking. 

"If  we  now  turn  to  the  body  of  poor  Sergeant  Wylyams  we  shall 
have  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  some  meaning  in  the  wounds.  The 
muscles  of  the  right  arm,  hacked  to  the  bone,  speak  of  the  Cheyennes,  or 
'Cut  arms';  the  nose  slit  denotes  the  'Smeller  tribe,'  or  Arapahoes ;  and 
the  throat  cut  bears  witness  that  the  Sioux  were  also  present.  There 
were,  therefore,  amongst  the  warriors  Cheyennes,  Arapahoes,  and  Sioux. 
It  was  not  till  some  time  afterwards  that  I  knew  positively  what  these 
signs  meant,  and  I  have  not  yet  discovered  what  tribe  was  indicated  by 
the  incisions  down  the  thighs  and  the  laceration  of  the  calves  of  the  legs 
in  oblique  parallel  gashes.    The  arrows  also  varied  in  make  and  color, 


31 


according  to  the  tribe,  and  it  was  evident,  from  the  number  of  different 
devices,  that  warriors  from  several  tribes  had  each  purposely  left  one  in 
the  dead  man's  body." 

(Page  66)  :  "At  the  close  of  the  following  week  General  Hancock 
arrived.  He  had  left  so  many  of  his  escort  here  and  there  along  the  road 
that  no  additional  troops  could  be  spared  for  us,  and  our  expedition  might 
have  ignominiously  returned  to  its  outset  had  not  Colonel  Greenwood 
most  liberally  offered  to  escort  us  with  his  surveying  party  and  his 
colored  troops — making,  in  all,  nearly  fifty  additional  men — across  the 
remainder  of  the  country  considered  unsafe."  * 

From  Fort  Wallace   [Kansas],  Walter  Hinchman  wrote  the 
following  letter,  July  3,  1867: 
Dear  Brother  : 

Thy  welcome  favor  of  20th  ult.  has  just  been  received,  the  first  letter 
I  have  had  since  leaving  Salina. 

We  arrived  at  this  post  over  a  week  ago  and  have  remained  here 
inactive,  but  I  heard  a  whisper  to  the  effect  that  we  may  move  in  a  few 
days.  The  Indians  have  been  rather  bold  in  their  attacks,  and,  as  our 
party  will  be  spread  out  over  a  considerable  distance  while  surveying, 
we  ought  to  have  a  larger  escort.  So  far  we  have  only  had  50  cavalry- 
men, and  we  of  the  survey  party  have  done  more  guard  duty  than  they. 
We  are  divided  into  three  parties,  the  whole  of  each  party  "going  on" 
every  third  night.  This  is  a  little  more  than  we  bargained  for,  and  I  don't 
think  we  can  work  very  well  and  do  guard  duty  also.  Gen.  Wright  is 
not  at  all  popular  with  the  command,  and,  to  speak  plainly,  I  do  not  think 
him  competent  to  have  charge  of  such  a  company  as  this  in  an  enemy's 
country.  He  seems  to  me  to  be  very  timid,  yet  desirous  of  creating  the 
opposite  impression.  The  Indians  made  a  demonstration  on  this  post  the 
day  after  our  arrival,  and  in  the  fight  which  ensued  our  escort  lost  heavily, 
having  seven  men  killed  and  five  wounded.  The  killed  were  stripped 
naked  and  one  of  them  horribly  mutilated,  but  the  savages  were  driven 
back  before  they  could  treat  the  others  in  the  same  brutal  manner. 

The  principal  object  of  the  Indians  is  plunder,  and  I  don't  think 

*  "We  afterwards  learned  that  on  the  same  morning  a  hard  fight  took  place 
near  Fort  Wallace  by  a  company  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  under  Captain  Barnitz. 
On  this  occasion  the  Indians  abandoned  their  old  style  of  circle  fighting,  formed  in 
line  and  charged  after  the  manner  of  a  squadron  of  cavalry.  This  made  the 
fighting  desperate,  it  being  mostly  hand  to  hand.  In  this  fight  some  of  the  bravest 
and  most  efficient  non-commissioned  officers  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry  were  killed  and 
their  bodies  mutilated  in  the  most  horrible  manner.  When  an  Indian  was  shot  off 
his  pony,  two  red-skins  would  ride  their  ponies  up  to  him,  pick  up  the  body  and 
carry  it  to  a  place  of  safety.  Those  who  were  in  the  fight  state  that  they  never 
saw  such  excellent  riding  as  the  Indians  exhibited  on  this  occasion."  Other  notice 
of  this  skirmish  can  be  found  in  From  a  Summer  on  the  Plains,  by  Theo.  R.  Davis. 
Harper's  New  Monthly  Mag.,  Feb.,  1868. 


32 


they  would  fight  unless  the  odds  were  largely  in  their  favor,  as  they  don't 
like  to  be  killed  any  more  than  the  rest  of  us. 

So  far  I  have  not  seen  anything  like  a  fort  at  the  places  so  designated 
on  the  maps;  taking  this  point  Fort  Wallace,  for  instance,  as  a  sample, 
it  is  merely  a  collection  of  tents  and  Government  warehouses,  with  no 
signs  of  defense,  not  even  the  simplest  kind  of  a  rifle  pit  until  after  we 
came,  when  they  imitated  us  and  threw  up  several  crescent-shaped 
trenches. 

There  is  a  soft  magnesian  limestone  found  all  through  this  state, 
which  makes  an  excellent  building  material ;  it  is  very  soft  and  easily 
worked,  as  soft  as  chalk,  and  hardens  by  exposure.  Timber  is  exceedingly 
scarce,  consisting  of  a  few  scattered  trees  and  small  bushes  along  the 
creeks,  chiefly  cottonwood.  Wood  is  worth  $65  per  cord.  The  land  is 
not  so  rich  here  as  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state;  in  fact,  we  are  now 
on  what  used  to  be  styled  the  great  American  Desert;  rain  seldom  falls 
and  the  grass  would  be  entirely  withered  by  the  scorching  sun,  were  it 
not  for  the  depth  to  which  its  roots  descend,  the  sod  being  many  times 
thicker  than  with  you.  Major  Calhoun,  who  went  ahead  of  us  with 
General  Hancock,  joins  us  here;  look  out  for  his  letters  in  the  "Press" 
and  "Harper."  I  would  rather  trust  to  his  advice,  if  I  needed  it,  than 
anyone  else  in  camp,  but  will  try  to  keep  my  own  counsel.    .    .  . 

My  pay  is  $60  per  month,  (I  said  nothing  about  the  $75  thee  spoke 
of.)  A  few  days  ago  General  Wright  made  me  tapeman,  which  brings 
no  additional  pay  (as  I  did  not  ask  for  any),  so  I  will  not  have  nothing 
to  do  on  the  way.  The  men,  two-thirds  or  more,  are  perfect  greenhorns 
about  surveying  and  never  saw  a  rod  or  chain  till  they  came  out 

here-    •    •    •  July  4,  1867. 

I  wish  I  had  some  more  baggage,  there  are  many  things  which  I 
need,  and  cannot  now  obtain,  which  might  just  as  well  have  been  brought 
along.  Many  of  the  boys  have  large  trunks  in  addition  to  their  valises 
and  four  or  five  blankets ;  shall  have  to  make  the  best  of  what  I  have  and 
know  better  next  time.  Although  the  days  are  very  hot  here,  the  nights 
are  frequently  very  cold,  so  that  two  or  three  blankets  arc  very  comfortable 
over  all  our  clothes.  The  stage  came  up  yesterday  with  the  mail  and  no 
passengers,  but  crammed  with  soldiers  and  with  a  cavalry  escort  in  order 
to  keep  off  the  noble  Indian. 

Please  write  me,  care  of  W.  W.  W  right,  Chief  Engr.,  U.  P.  R. 
W.  E.  D.,  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  Knapp,  one  of  our  party  (son  of  the  editor  St.  Louis  Republican), 
leaves  us  tomorrow  for  home,  as  do  several  others,  going  with  General 
Hancock.  He  will  take  our  letters  and  mail  them  at  St.  Louis,  which 
will  expedite  their  transmission. 

With  love  to  mother  and  our  friends  at  B. 

I  am,  thy  very  affectionate  Bro.,  Walter. 


33 


In  his  brother's  handwriting,  jotted  down  on  the  back  of  an  old 
invitation  to  the  3d  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Anderson  Cavalry,  is  the 
following  list,  which,  because  of  the  diversity  of  the  articles  and  the 
quaintness  of  introducing  "A  flask  of  best  brandy,"  together  with  a 
"Tract  on  Swearing,  Rum,  and  Tobacco,"  is  quoted  in  full : 

Sent  for  W.  H.  to  care  of  W.  J.  P., 

Fort  Craig,  N.  M. 

1  pr.  heavy  grey  blankets. 

1  pr.  heavy  top  D.  S.  boots,  heels  shod. 

1  heavy  coat,  1  army  officer's  cape  (French). 

1  large  gum  blanket. 

Some  good  medicine  (buy  of  W.  J.  A.) 

1  haversack — on  hand. 
Sewing  materials  (strong). 

2  fishing  lines  and  hooks  (Kriders,  2d  &  Walnut). 
Some  No.  1  cartridges,  44-cal. 

Some  small  buckles,  brass. 

Matches,  4  boxes  best,  w.  proof. 

Newspapers,  magazines,  and  songs. 

Tract  on  Szvearing  and  Rum  and  Tobacco. 

P.  knife,  F.  &  S.  combined. 

Flask  of  best  brandy,  4th  proof. 

Pencils  and  drawing  paper,  and  ink  and  pens. 

1  Cholera  and  Fever  and  Ague  mixture. 

2  pocket  mem.  books. 

$10  in  postal  currency,  10  and  5's. 

1  pocket  looking  glass. 

1  diary  and  pocket  almanac. 

1  pocket  magnifying  glass. 

1  box  paper  collars. 

1  dozen  selected  photographs. 

1  chest  for  packing  same. 

Hinges  and  hasp ;  padlock,  to  be  enclosed  inside,  ^-inch. 

Screw  lid  down. 

India  rubber  envelopes. 

Bag  for  papers,  etc. 

1  piece  of  oiled  silk. 

Drinking  cup.    India  rubbers. 

Camphor  in  packing. 

$1  in  new  pennies,  $1  in  new  3-cent  currency. 

Further  news  of  the  party  and  of  Walter  Hinchman  is  contained 
in  a  letter  from  General  Palmer  to  Charles  S.  Hinchman : 


34 


Santa  Fe,  October  17,  1867. 

My  dear  Mr.  Hinchman: 

I  received  your  favors  of  August  26th  and  September  25th,  and  was 
very  glad  to  hear  from  you  and  to  receive  the  copies  of  analyses.  I 
think  the  Vermejo  coal  we  afterwards  discovered  will  show  no  more 
sulphur  and  much  less  ash  than  the  "Raton"  which  was  analyzed.  It  is 
a  magnificent  deposit. 

I  detached  your  brother  from  the  Gila  party  [Southern  New  .Mexico] 
so  he  might  accompany  me.  He  is  a  thorough-going,  sensible  and  faithful 
fellow,  and  I  want  just  such  a  young  man  close  at  hand.  Since  Dr. 
Lamborn  would  not  let  you  come,  I  will  have  to  take  your  brother.  He 
is  temporarily  acting  as  Quartermaster  to  Miller's  division,  which  started 
nearly  a  week  ago  on  the  survey  of  the  35th  parallel  from  Isleta  on  the 
Rio  Grande  below  Albuquerque,  but  as  soon  as  I  can  find  someone  to 
replace  him  in  that  capacity  I  shall  take  him  as  my  secretary.  He  sketches 
quite  well  the  country  we  pass  through,  and  with  some  practice  would 
excel  in  this  valuable  talent.  I  will  catch  them  at  Fort  Wingate  [New 
Mexico]. 

The  box  arrived  at  Santa  Fe  and  will  be  sent  down  in  one  of  Colonel 
Greenwood's  wagons  to  your  brother.  As  it  was  directed  to  me,  I  had 
opened  it,  tried  on  the  hat  (which  fits  well)  and  tasted  some  of  the 
French  brandy  (which  is  unexceptionable)  before  I  saw  the  slip  which 
contained  "inventory  of  articles  for  Walter  Hinchman."  I  was  in  such 
a  brown  study,  wondering  what  kind  friend  has  sent  me  a  new  hat.  that 
I  had  not  noticed  the  inventory. 

Tell  Dr.  L.  I  have  his  letter  and  will  answer  it  before  crossing 
the  Rio  Grande.  How  did  the  Anderson  dinner  come  off?  I  hope  often 
to  hear  from  you. 

Regards  to  ReifT  and  McAllister. 

Yours. 

Wm.  J.  Palmer. 

Dr.  Bell,  after  describing  the  long  march  to  the  Purgatoire  River, 
Colorado,  writes  (p.  95)  : 

"The  fourth  pass  was  discovered  by  General  Wright,  about  four- 
teen miles  farther  west,  lower  than  any  of  the  others,  most  suitable  for 
a  railroad,  but  too  rough  either  for  a  wagon  road  or  even  a  mule  path. 
This  has  been  named  Cimarron  Pass  [New  Mexico].  Its  elevation  is 
6,166  feet. 

"While  camped  at  the  mouth  of  the  Purgatoire  Canon  I  examined 
that  end  of  it.  None  of  the  grandeur  of  the  Red  Rock  Canon  was  to 
be  found  here ;  the  walls  were  perpendicular  only  towards  the  top.  and 
were  composed  of  grey  sandstone,  somewhat  metamorphosed,  probably 
from  their  proximity  to  the  Raton   Mountains    [on   border  between 


35 


36 


Colorado  and  New  Mexico],  which  are  partly  volcanic.  They  did  not 
exceed  200  feet  in  height,  yet  it  was  difficult  traveling  along  the  banks, 
for  it  took  my  friend  Walter  Hinchman  and  myself  four  hours  to  lead 
a  mule  packed  with  my  photographic  'outfit'  two  miles,  in  which  short 
distance  we  nearly  lost  our  valuable  quadruped  in  a  quicksand,  and  had 
to  load  and  reload  at  least  half  a  dozen  times." 

From  Albuquerque,  New  Mexico,  Walter  Hinchman  wrote  as 
follows  to  his  brother : 

October  12,  1867. 

My  dear  Brother: 

I  little  thought  ten  days  ago  that  I  would  be  writing  thee  from  Albu- 
querque, but  since  my  last  letter  from  Fort  Craig  [New  Mexico],  there 
have  been  some  important  changes  made  in  our  outfit,  part  of  which  I 
dare  say  thee  was  expecting.  General  Wright  was  relieved  a  week  ago, 
much  to  the  surprise  of  the  party.  Many  speculations  were  rife  as  to 
our  movements,  some  declaring  that  we  would  lay  at  the  fort  several 
weeks  to  settle  up  affairs,  but  General  Palmer,  with  an  energy  to  which 
we  were  not  accustomed,  ordered  Miller's  party  to  be  ready  to  move  next 
day.  The  design  is  for  Runk  and  Eicholtz  to  survey  a  line  from  Fort 
Craig  to  the  coast  on  the  32d  parallel,  terminating  at  San  Diego ;  while 
Miller  and  Greenwood  (who  has  heretofore  been  working  on  the  Denver 
line)  run  a  line  on  the  35th  parallel,  following  the  same  general  route 
taken  by  Whipple  some  years  ago ;  all  the  parties  are  to  meet  at  San 
Francisco  and  go  home  by  sea;  what  a  jolly  time  we  will  have  if  we  all 
get  safely  home.  General  Palmer  told  me  I  should  go  with  him  as  clerk 
and  "sketchist,"  so  now  I  have  a  horse  to  ride  and  feel  as  gay  as  a  lark. 
Have  been  Miller's  Q.  M.  for  the  last  week,  which  accounts  for  my  being 
at  this  place;  hope  the  General  will  soon  arrive,  as  I  do  not  want  to  be 
with  J.  Imbrie  any  longer  than  necessary.  General  Wright  and  Dr.  Le 
Conte  left  Albuquerque  today  by  stage  for  the  East.  Dr.  Le  Conte  has 
been  of  very  little  service  to  the  company  so  far  as  my  knowledge  goes ; 
he  was  too  much  afraid  of  Indians  and  too  fond  of  his  own  ease  to 
examine  the  country  as  he  should.  Dr.  Parry  is  just  the  contrary  in 
every  respect;  he  is  a  little  man,  very  quiet  and  reserved  in  his  manners, 
a  hard  worker  and  small  talker.  Among  the  first  to  rise  in  the  morning, 
he  is  away  on  his  mule  by  himself  half  an  hour  before  the  rest  are  ready 
to  start ;  then  we  see  nothing  more  of  him  till  evening,  when  he  is  sure 
to  find  camp  and  come  in  about  supper  time.  Our  next  post  after 
leaving  here  will  be  Fort  Wingate  [New  Mexico],  which  we  will  reach 
in  about  three  weeks.  Please  write  me  to  Prescott,  Arizona,  for  two 
months,  after  which  direct  to  San  Francisco.  I  am  sorry  that  our  letters 
miscarry.  I  should  like  to  get  newspapers  and  am  much  obliged  to  thee 
for  sending  them,  but  very  few  come  to  hand. 


37 


Thy  favor  of  September  17th,  enclosing  grandmother's,  was  received 
a  few  days  since.  Say  to  grandmother  that  I  am  very  much  obliged  for 
her  kind  remembrance.  I  am  writing  in  Major  Calhoun's  room.  It  is 
late  and  must  say  "adios."  The  Major  sends  his  particular  regards  to 
thee. 

Thy  affectionate  brother, 

Walter. 

General  Palmer's  party,  including  Walter  Hinchman,  thoroughly 
investigated  the  district  of  the  Pueblo  Indians,  where  the  Santa  Fe 
road  now  runs,  including  the  villages  of  Laguna,  Acoma,  and  Zuni. 
Later  they  left  their  traces  in  the  names  of  their  principal  members, 
inscribed  under  the  title  U.  P.  R.  C.  E.  D.  on  El  Moro,  or  Inscription 
Rock.  Soon  after  this  they  left  the  country  of  the  more  peaceful 
Pueblo  Indians  and  entered  what  is  now  the  State  of  Arizona,  where 
they  were  again  subject  to  attacks  from  the  fiercer  Indian  tribes. 
They  followed  along  the  valley  of  the  Colorado  Chiquito,  or  Little 
Colorado,  and  across  the  peaks  to  Prescott. 

Dr.  Bell  continues  (p.  172)  : 

"It  was  not  the  wish  of  our  surveyors  to  carry  a  line  of  railway 
over  the  actual  base  of  the  San  Francisco  peaks  at  an  elevation  exceeding 
7,000  feet  for  100  miles  if  a  lower  grade  could  be  obtained  farther  south. 
With  this  object  in  view,  General  Palmer,  after  having  pushed  rapidly 
forward  in  advance  of  the  parties  to  Prescott,  determined  to  retrace  his 
steps  through  this  intricate  canon  country  and  ascertain  if  there  was  any 
possibility  of  finding  a  practicable  route  through  it.  He  was  accompanied 
during  these  excursions  by  Hinchman,  whom  my  readers  will  remember 
as  one  of  my  companions  in  the  earlier  chapters,  and  he  had  also  a  small 
detachment  of  soldiers  and  a  few  more  members  of  the  survey  to  assist 
in  the  work.  At  one  time  General  Gregg,  who  happened  to  be  at  Prescott, 
joined  him  with  his  escort." 

By  November  they  had  reached  the  head  waters  of  the  Verde 
River,  Arizona,  and  in  Sycamore  Canon  were  attacked  by  the  Apache 
Indians.  Soon  after,  Walter  Hinchman  made  a  sketch  of  this  attack, 
in  which  the  Indians  on  top  of  the  mountain  are  seen  rolling  stones 
down  upon  the  party  below.  In  later  years  General  Palmer  had  two 
large  paintings  made  from  the  drawing,  about  which  he  wrote : 

April  3,  1903. 

Dear  Walter  : 

At  last,  the  other  day,  that  long-lost  little  sketch  you  made  of  the 
attack  in  Verde  Canon  turned  up  at  Glen  Eyrie,  and  I  gave  it  to  W.  Craig. 


38 


,19 


a  local  artist,  to  paint  a  picture  from  it.  He  has  done  so,  but  has  scarcely 
done  the  coloring  aright  and  my  memory  is  not  altogether  firm  in  regard 
to  those  rocks.  Can  you  tell  me  whether  the  granite  was  at  the  bottom, 
or  stratified  rock  (I  think  the  latter),  and  whether  any  white  sandstone 
came  in  on  the  way  up,  and  whether  the  prevailing  rock  color  from 
bottom  to  top  was  red  or  grey,  or  red  and  strata,  and  grey  interlarded  ? 

If  you  are  able  to  refresh  my  memory  with  regard  to  this  matter  I 
shall  be  very  much  obliged. 

Yours, 

Wm.  J.  Palmer. 

General  Palmer,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Bell,  written  in  Signal  Canon, 
Arizona,  at  the  foot  of  Mogollon  Range,  near  San  Francisco  Moun- 
tain, December  8,  1867,  gives  an  interesting  account  of  this  attack: 

(Page  174)  :  "But  very  few  days  have  passed  since  leaving  Pres- 
cott  in  which  we  did  not  meet  recent  signs  of  Indians ;  the  rude  wigwams 
of  bunch  grass  and  branches,  which  the  Arizonians  call  'wicky-ups' ;  the 
moccasin  tracks ;  the  mescal  heaps,  where  the  Indian  has  been  roasting 
his  supply  of  winter  subsistence,  composed  almost  entirely  of  this  root; 
the  sweating-house,  or  earth  oven,  which  he  gets  into  when  sick,  and 
which  is  almost  his.  sole  remedy  for  disease;  the  fresh  trail,  and  the 
'rancheria,'  or  village  of  a  greater  or  less  number  of  wigwams. 

"We  have  been  surrounded  by  these  constantly,  but  all  were  aban- 
doned; and,  although  the  stealthy  Apache  was  watching  us  from  every 
rocky  look-out,  we  could  nowhere  catch  sight  of  him.  An  inexperienced 
traveller  would  have  imagined  that  there  had  been  a  general  exodus,  and 
that  the  whole  race  had  disappeared — had  gone  to  the  Tonto  basin,  or 
the  Gila,  or  some  remote  hiding  place. 

"If  he  wanted  to  have  this  mistake  corrected,  he  should  have  done 
as  we  did  :  he  should  have  gone  down  into  a  canon  and  traveled  along 
its  bed  for  a  few  miles,  until  he  had  reached  a  place  where  you  can  look 
up  on  either  side  and  not  discover  the  remotest  chance  of  getting  out — 
where  ahead,  and  in  the  rear,  as  far  as  you  can  see,  it  looks  like  a  deep 
grey  coffin.  Then  suddenly  he  would  hear  a  war-whoop  that  would  make 
him  think  that  all  the  savages  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  from  Fort 
Bridger  [Utah]  to  Apache  Pass,  were  within  bow-and-arrow  range. 

"A  week  or  two  ago,  on  an  occasion  very  similar  to  the  above,  Gen- 
eral Gregg  was  with  me.  We  were  hunting  for  a  route  from  the  Val  de 
Chino  eastward  to  the  Colorado  Chiquito,  by  crossing  the  head-waters 
of  the  streams  flowing  into  the  Rio  Verde  close  up  to  where  they  emerged 
from  the  high,  rocky  wall  at  the  base  of  the  San  Francisco  Mountains, 
when  we  came  to  the  canon  of  Sycamore  Fork.  We  succeeded  in  descend- 
ing the  gorge,  but  the  ascent  was  so  exceedingly  steep  that  we  thought 
the  pack  train  could  not  climb  up  out  of  it,  and  concluded,  in  spite  of 


40 


its  violating  the  fundamental  rule  of  Indian  warfare  in  these  mountains, 
to  return  to  the  bed  of,  the  canon  and  follow  it  to  its  mouth. 

"It  was  strewn  with  fragments  of  red  sandstone,  from  the  size  of  a 
church  to  that  of  a  pebble,  over  which  we  dragged  our  foot-sore  animals 
very  slowly.  We  had  made  some  eight  miles,  when,  as  it  seemed,  at  the 
roughest  part  of  the  whole  way,  where  nature  had  made  a  sort  of  waste 
closet  at  random  for  all  the  shapeless  blocks  and  sharp-cornered  masses 
of  rock  and  washed-out  boulders  that  she  had  no  time  to  work  up  and 
wished  to  hide  from  sight,  we  suddenly  heard  a  shot  from  the  brink  of 
the  canon  at  our  rear,  and  the  dreaded  war-whoop  burst  upon  us.  Then 
we  looked  up  to  the  right  and  left,  ahead  and  to  the  rear,  but  the  walls 
seemed  everywhere  as  tall  as  a  church  steeple,  with  scarcely  a  foothold 
from  top  to  base.  They  had  looked  high  before,  and  the  chasm  narrow, 
but  now  it  seemed  as  though  we  were  looking  up  from  the  bottom  of  a 
deep  well  or  a  tin  mine,  and  no  bucket  to  draw  us  up  by.  Soon  the  shots 
were  repeated,  and  the  yells  were  followed  by  showers  of  arrows.  We 
staggered  and  stumbled  about  as  fast  as  a  very  slow  ox-team  along  the 
rocky  bed  till  we  came  to  some  bushes,  and  then  stopped. 

"Some  of  the  Indians  had  got  on  the  edge  of  the  canon  ahead  of  us. 
whose  yells  answered  those  from  the  rear,  and  the  whole  concatenation 
of  sounds  echoed  among  the  cliffs  till  it  seemed  to  us  that  every  rancheria 
in  Arizona  had  poured  out  its  dusky  warriors  to  overwhelm  us. 

"It  was  a  yell  of  triumph — of  confidence.  It  appeared  to  say,  ,(  >h. 
ye  wise  and  boastful  white  men,  with  your  drilled  soldiers  and  repeating 
guns,  and  wealth  and  power,  who  came  out  to  hunt  the  poor  Indian  Erom 
his  wigwam,  look  where  we  have  got  you !  We  have  only  been  waiting 
for  you  to  make  some  blunder ;  now  we  shall  take  advantage  of  it  and 
not  let  any  of  you  escape.  It  shall  be  worse  than  at  Fort  Kearney,  for 
not  even  one  shall  be  spared  to  tell  the  story.  It  will  be  a  good  place  to 
bury  you;  in  fact,  you  are  already  buried  in  as  deep  a  grave  as  you  could 
wish.  We  shall  only  leave  you  there,  that  is  all,  ha!  ha!  What  are  your 
Spencer  carbines  worth,  and  your  soldiers  with  their  fine  uniforms  and 
drill?  It  is  only  the  old  lesson  we  are  teaching  you:  our  forefathers 
taught  it  to  Braddock,  and  it  has  been  repeated  many  times  since ;  but 
we  shall  drive  it  into  you  deeper  than  ever  it  has  been  before,  ha !  ha ! 
You  thought  we  had  all  gone,  but  our  eyes  were  never  off  you.  and  now 
we  are  gathering  our  warriors  from  every  hiding  place.  This  is  the  way 
we  call  them  out — whoop !  whoop !  whoop !  and  they  are  lining  the  edge 
of  the  canon  before  and  behind  you.  You  can  take  your  time.  It  is 
only  ten  miles  to  the  mouth,  and  the  farther  you  go  the  deeper  the  canon 
gets.  Perhaps  you  wish  to  retreat?  It  is  only  eight  miles  back  and  you 
know  what  sort  of  a  path  it  is.  From  the  cedars  on  the  brink  we  will 
pick  you  off  at  our  leisure,  and  you  shall  not  see  one  of  us.  This  country 
belongs  to  us,  the  whole  of  it ;  and  we  do  not  want  your  people  here,  nor 


41 


your  soldiers,  nor  your  railroad.  Get  away  to  where  you  belong — if  you 
can ;  ha !  ha  !' 

"It  was  not  all  this  in  detail,  but  the  sum  and  concentration  of  it, 
that  flashed  through  my  mind  as  I  listened  to  those  yells,  now  rising  clear 
and  wild  on  the  breeze,  and  now  dying  away  in  the  distance. 

"We  moved  close  up  to  the  foot  of  the  wall  from  the  top  of  which 
the  shots  came,  thinking  it  would  be  too  steep  for  them  to  hit  us,  but 
the  great  rocks  that  came  rolling  down  upon  us,  resounding  almost  like 
heavy  ordnance  through  the  canon,  drove  us  away  from  that  slight  shelter. 
Here  was  a  new  danger  and  a  very  serious  one,  since  there  was  no  hope 
that  this  kind  of  ammunition  would  give  out,  and  the  Indians  evidently 
knew  how  to  use  it. 

"  'Now,  officers,  be  quick  and  sharp  in  giving  your  orders !  Throw 
away  precedent  and  drill,  and  come  down  to  native  common  sense  V 
'Now,  soldiers,  be  prompt,  and  jump  at  the  word  of  command,  and  don't 
get  disheartened !  And  you,  muleteers,  scatter  out  your  animals ;  keep 
them  sheltered  as  much  as  possible  and  avoid  all  disorder.  Now,  every- 
body keep  cool,  for  every  man's  life  hangs  upon  a  single  movement  here; 
and,  if  a  panic  breaks  out,  all  is  lost,  and  the  latest  tragedy  in  the  great 
Apache  war,  which  they  say  has  been  waging  against  the  Spaniards  and 
Americans  for  over  two  hundred  years,  will  have  been  enacted !'  Soon 
the  sharp,  clear  voice  of  the  adjutant  rang  out  from  behind  a  huge  rock 
in  the  channel,  his  carbine  at  a  'ready,'  and  without  moving  his  eyes  from 
the  cliff :    'Sergeant,  send  six  men  to  scale  that  side  of  the  canon !' 

"As  they  moved  out,  General  Gregg  joined  them  and  directed  their 
movement. 

"I  gave  the  next  order  to  the  little  escort  I  had  brought  from  New 
Mexico:  'Sergeant  Miller,  station  five  men  on  this  side  of  the  canon  to 
cover  that  scaling  party  with  their  fire.  Let  them  take  shelter  behind 
the  rocks.'  This  was  done,  and  the  devoted  little  band  began  slowly  to 
ascend  what  seemed  an  almost  vertical  wall  of  sandstone. 

"Until  now,  although  the  yells  had  rung  all  around  us,  the  firing 
was  confined  to  the  west  side  of  the  canon,  but  at  this  moment  a  very 
close  shot  was  fired  from  the  other  side,  and  our  plans  could  not  be 
carried  out  unless  this  was  stopped.  Another  scaling  party  of  six  men 
was  accordingly  detailed,  of  which  I  took  command,  and  began  ascending 
the  eastern  cliff,  covered  by  the  fire  of  a  second  small  party  in  the  canon. 
This  disposed  of  all  our  fighting  force,  the  remainder  being  required  to 
take  care  of  the  animals.  How  we  got  up,  God  knows ;  I  only  remember 
hearing  a  volley  from  below,  shots  from  above,  Indian  yells  on  all  sides, 
the  grating  roar  of  tumbling  boulders  as  they  fell,  and  the  confused 
echoing  of  calls  and  shouts  from  the  canon.  Exhausted,  out  of  breath 
and  wet  with  perspiration,  boots  nearly  torn  off  and  hands  cut  and  bleed- 
ing, I  sat  down  on  the  summit  and  looked  around.    Across  the  narrow 


42 


chasm  I  saw  the  other  scaling  party.  Everything  was  as  quiet  as  death, 
the  Indians  had  disappeared,  melting  away  as  suddenly  and  mysteriously 
as  they  had  at  first  appeared.  They  had  gone  to  their  hidden  lairs, 
cowed  by  our  determined  approach. 

"It  had  been  hurriedly  arranged  before  we  ascended  that  the  scaling 
parties  should  move  on  down  stream  at  the  brink  of  the  canon,  covering 
the  pack-train  and  animals  which  would  march  along  the  bed.  Accord- 
ingly, we  moved  on  towards  the  Rio  Verde ;  but,  in  consequence  of  side 
canons,  were  compelled  to  keep  back  at  least  half  a  mile  nearer  to  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  than  the  course  of  the  canon. 

"Six  miles  farther,  while  skirting  a  ridge  which  projected  from  the 
mountain,  the  Indians  from  the  top  began  yelling  again  like  demons  and 
firing  at  us,  but  the  range  was  too  long  to  do  any  harm.  They  were  too 
cowardly  to  attack  even  our  small  party,  and  now  that  we  were  no  longer 
engulfed  in  a  canon  we  laughed  at  their  whoops.  They  followed  us. 
however,  hoping  to  catch  us  in  a  ravine,  but  we  always  sent  three  men 
across  first  to  cover  the  rest  and  be  covered  by  them  in  turn. 

"Just  as  the  sun  was  setting  we  recognized  from  a  high  point  the 
mouth  of  the  Sycamore  and  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Verde.  We  had  not 
been  able,  from  the  roughness  of  the  country,  to  approach  the  side  of 
the  canon  in  which  we  supposed  the  rest  of  the  party  were  moving,  and 
could  not,  therefore,  ascertain  their  whereabouts.  But  at  last,  towards 
dark,  we  descended  a  second  time,  by  a  deep  side  gorge,  into  the  canon, 
dropping  down  fully  2,000  feet  in  the  space  of  half  an  hour.  It  was 
just  light  enough  when  we  reached  the  bed  of  the  canon  to  discover  that 
our  party  had  not  passed  down  it,  and,  although  fearful  lest  the  Apaches 
should  notice  our  descent  and  again  pepper  us  in  the  narrow  ravine,  we 
turned  up  it  to  meet  them. 

"That  night's  march  up  the  canon,  over  the  broken  rocks  and  through 
the  tangled  thickets  was  worse,  if  anything,  than  the  attack.  Every 
pebble  in  the  darkness  was  magnified  to  a  boulder,  and  every  boulder 
seemed  as  large  as  a  house;  fording  the  rapid  stream  twenty  times,  we 
shivered  with  cold  and  wet  when  we  halted  for  a  brief  rest;  expecting 
every  moment  to  meet  our  party  encamped,  we  yet  wondered  how  they 
would  dare  to  stop  in  such  a  place.  Finally,  near  midnight,  we  halted  under 
some  sheltering  rocks  and  concluded  to  take  some  sleep,  but  the  guides 
protested  against  having  a  fire,  saying  that  the  Indians  would  detect  and 
shoot  into  it.  To  sleep  without  one.  however,  was  impossible.  At  last 
I  concluded  that  it  was  better  to  die  from  an  Indian  arrow  than  to  freeze 
to  death  in  the  darkness  and  ordered  a  small  one  to  be  lighted,  beside 
which  we  sat  and  slept  and  shivered  until  a  little  before  daylight,  when 
we  took  another  smoke  for  breakfast  and  pushed  out  into  the  darkness 
to  continue  our  march  up  the  stream. 

"During  the  night  a  great  rock  had  either  become  dislodged  or 


43 


had  been  rolled  down  by  Indians,  but  it  fell  into  the  canon  with  a  report 
like  thunder.  I  started  up  and  found  I  had  not  dreamt  it.  I  would  give 
something  to  have  a  faithful  picture  of  that  little  party  with  the  expres- 
sion of  each  as  they  stood  or  leaned,  staring  out  into  the  pitch-dark  canon 
and  wondering  what  would  come  next. 

"By  daybreak  we  had  got  well  on  our  way  when  we  heard  shots  in 
the  rear,  which  we  presumed  to  be  Indians  firing  into  our  abandoned 
camp.  We  commended  ourselves  for  early  rising  and  pushed  on,  wonder- 
ing what  could  have  become  of  General  Gregg's  party.  Finally,  the  guides 
insisted  on  getting  out  of  the  canon  and  striking  towards  Prescott,  but 
I  ordered  them  to  keep  ahead,  feeling  confident  that  we  should  soon  meet 
the  party  or  its  trail. 

"At  last  all  hope  seemed  to  be  gone  and  I  agreed  to  climb  out  up 
the  western  cliff.  It  was  as  much  as  we  could  do  to  reach  the  top,  and 
imagine  our  feelings  on  arriving  there  to  find  that  we  were  merely  on  a 
vertical  ledge  of  rock,  and  that  immediately  on  the  other  side  was  the 
same  canon  we  had  come  along  an  hour  before.  We  scrambled  along  the 
narrow  ledge,  however,  faint  from  hunger  and  fatigue,  having  come 
nearly  twenty  miles  on  foot,  up  and  down  canons  and  steep  ravines, 
climbing  through  mountain  passes  and  stumbling  over  the  rocky  bed  of 
the  streams,  equivalent  to  at  least  sixty  miles,  as  we  thought,  on  a  level 
road.  We  had  had  nothing  to  eat  for  over  twenty-four  hours,  and  very 
little  sleep ;  the  night  was  bitterly  cold,  our  overcoats  were  left  behind 
when  we  scaled  the  cliff  during  the  Indian  attack.    .    .  . 

"Such  was  our  condition  when  one  of  the  party  cried  out,  'What  is 
that  smoke?'  I  got  out  my  field  glasses  and  saw  two  fires  and  some 
animals  grazing  contentedly  on  a  distant  hill.  'That  is  camp,  boys ! 
Orderly,  fire  two  shots  in  quick  succession !'  The  shots  were  fired. 
Anxiously,  we  listened  for  the  acknowledgment.  It  came  soon,  the  two 
welcome  answering  shots,  and  we  strode  on  with  renewed  heart. 

"Now,  if  we  had  not  seen  camp  I  could  have  walked  as  many  miles 
as  we  had  already  gone  without  giving  up,  but  when  I  came  within  two 
miles  of  camp  and  felt  certain  of  succor,  and  could  talk  with  General 
Gregg  across  a  deep  canon,  only  half  a  mile  distant,  my  legs,  somehow  or 
other,  refused  to  carry  me  farther,  and  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
infantry  service  was  disagreeable  on  an  empty  stomach.  So  I  made  a 
fire  and  laid  down  to  sleep  and  sent  for  rations,  which  my  faithful  servant, 
George,  brought  out  to  me  in  the  rain,  with  a  flask  of  whisky  from 
General  Gregg,  and  strict  injunctions  to  be  sure  to  drink  it  all — a  com- 
mand I  promptly  obeyed.  I  hope  the  Temperance  Society  will  forgive 
me,  as  I  could  have  drunk  a  demijohn  under  the  circumstances  without 
being  affected  by  it. 

"It  was  by  no  means  a  short  walk  even  from  where  we  were  to 
General  Gregg's  camp,  as  we  had  to  head  the  deep  side  canon  and  to 


44 


cross  several  others  near  their  sources.  It  was  raining,  and  the  ground 
and  rocks  were  slippery;  but  at  last  we  arrived  and  received  the  con- 
gratulations of  the  party,  who  had  heard  the  Indian  shots  and  shouts 
and  feared  we  had  met  too  many  of  the  'noble  reds.' 

"General  Gregg  had  found  a  way  out  of  the  Sycamore  Canon  along 
a  horrible  trail,  by  unloading  his  pack  mules  and  making  several  trips 
of  it.  He  had  signalled  to  us,  but  had  no  means  of  communication,  and 
supposed  we  had  struck  for  Camp  Lincoln,  a  military  post  in  the  valley 
of  the  Verde,  fifty  miles  to  the  south." 

In  this  same  letter,  written  in  camp,  another  mention  is  made  of 
Walter  Hinchman  by  General  Palmer  as  follows : 

(Page  172)  :  "After  climbing  and  scrambling  along  these  moun- 
tains for  more  than  two  weeks  since  leaving  Prescott,  endeavoring  to  find 
a  route  eastward  to  the  Colorado  Chiquito  without  passing  over  San 
Francisco  Mountain,  I  have  at  last  reached  the  valley  of  that  river,  and 
am  waiting  here  in  camp  this  pleasant  December  Sunday  for  the  return 
of  Hinchman,  whom  I  have  sent  down  the  river  to  get  news  if  possible 
of  Greenwood's  whereabouts.  Hinchman  will  probably  find  a  mound 
there  with  a  letter  buried,  containing  an  account  of  Greenwood's  move- 
ments and  stating  where  we  can  find  him.  We  have  two  signal  fires 
burning  on  the  highest  points  overlooking  our  camp  to  guide  Hinchman 
to  us,  and  from  this  we  have  called  the  tributary  of  Canon  Diablo  in 
which  we  are  encamped  'Signal  Canon.'  I  have  called  it  a  camp,  but  it 
is  only  a  'high-toned'  bivouac,  as  we  parted  with  tents  and  wagons  a  fort- 
night ago,  and  since  that  time  have  relied  on  pack  mules,  and  even  these 
have  been  unable  to  cross  the  rugged  country  through  which  this  recon- 
naissance has  been  made  without  sacrificing  some  of  their  number  to  the 
good  of  the  cause." 

Dr.  Bell  takes  up  the  story  (p.  185)  : 

"Notwithstanding  the  bonfires  which  were  kept  blazing  all  night  above 
Signal  Canon,  Hinchman  did  not  return.  Next  morning  they  searched 
for  him  in  all  directions,  but  in  vain.  Fearing  that  he  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  Apaches,  they  redoubled  their  exertions  and  continued 
the  search  for  three  days,  but  still  without  success ;  and  at  last  Palmer 
had  to  give  it  up  and  return  to  Prescott,  persuaded  that  one  of  the 
greatest  favorites  of  our  whole  party  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  cause. 
Hinchman,  however,  was  intended  by  Providence  for  better  things  than 
to  furnish  a  scalp  and  a  night's  amusement  to  the  red-skins.  He  had 
lost  his  way,  and,  becoming  confused  in  the  intricacies  of  the  canon 
country,  thought  it  best  to  make  his  way,  as  well  as  he  could,  to  Prescott 
where  he  arrived  on  the  fourth  day,  thoroughly  exhausted,  not  having 
tasted  food  during  all  that  time." 


45 


On  New  Year's  Day,  1868,  General  Palmer  wrote  from  Fort 
Mojave  to  Charles  Hinchman : 

"Your  brother  is  well  and  with  me.  He  got  separated  for  four  days 
over  beyond  the  San  Francisco  mountain,  and,  as  he  hadn't  anything  to 
eat  along,  I  believe  he  was  somewhat  hungry  at  the  end  of  that  period 
when  he  reached  supplies.  He  looked  a  little  pale  for  a  week  thereafter. 
I  was  quite  uneasy  for  a  while,  fearing  the  Apaches  would  run  into  his 
little  squad,  as  I  met  numerous  wigwams,  just  abandoned,  immediately 
after  parting  from  him  at  Sunset  Gap,  but  he  turned  up  all  right.  So 
that,  instead  of  writing  you  a  sad  letter  of  condolence  as  I  at  one  time 
expected  would  be  requisite,  I  am  enabled  to  record  his  little  adventure 
merely  with  its  harmless  finale.  It  is  rather  different  from  campaigning 
in  Tennessee  or  Georgia,  where  Crittur  Companies  could  reach  'sinkers' 
and  a  'few  molasses,'  with  perhaps  a  reasonable  pig  or  chicken,  in  almost 
any  short  march." 

Two  months  later,  its  labors  completed,  the  expedition  broke  up 
in  California,  and  Walter  Hinchman  returned  by  sea  via  Panama,  in 
charge  of  General  Palmer's  pet  horse  Don,  already  mentioned  in  the 
much-quoted  letters  from  Signal  Canon.  Although  born  in  the  East, 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  Walter  Hinchman  thus 
saw  the  Pacific  Ocean  before  he  did  the  Atlantic. 

The  western  expedition  evidently  had  a  great  influence  on  his 
life.  Though  he  had  several  more  years  of  travel,  it  connected  him 
definitely  with  General  Palmer  and  railroading,  while  the  more  pic- 
turesque phases  of  it  must  have  struck  his  quick  perception,  thus 
contributing  to  that  store  of  knowledge  and  appreciation  which  made 
him  in  later  years  so  conspicuously  an  educated  man.  He  spoke  rarely 
of  the  expedition,  for  he  had  in  marked  degree  the  uncommon  virtue 
of  leaving  himself  out  of  the  conversation;  however,  when  he  did 
mention  it  in  recent  years,  he  dwelt  little  on  the  engineering  features, 
but  talked  chiefly  of  the  heat  of  the  Arizona  desert,  the  appearance 
of  the  mountains  and  canons,  the  wild  life  by  the  way,  the  beauty  of 
green  California  as  they  descended  from  the  Tejon  Pass,  and  the 
hospitality  of  the  monks  in  an  old  Spanish  settlement  at  the  Pass. 
In  telling  of  the  four  days  when  he  was  lost  in  the  canon  country, 
he  said  that  he  could  have  returned  to  camp,  had  he  not  been  detained 
by  missing  his  way,  so  long  that  he  supposed  the  camp  might  have 
been  broken  and  that  he  might  find  Indians  instead  of  friends  there 
Fearing  discovery  by  the  Indians,  he  abandoned  his  horses,  for  which 


46 


Drawings  by  Walter  Hinchman,  Feb.,  J86g 

47 


48 


he  lacked  provision,  and  he  and  his  men  travelled  on  foot  by  night, 
guiding  themselves  by  the  stars,  and  hiding  as  much  as  possible  by 
day.  He  decided  to  make  for  Prescott,  where  they  had  headquarters, 
and  arrived  there,  on  the  fourth  day,  before  General  Palmer's  party. 
This  explanation  of  just  what  he  did  do  when  astray  will  not  surprise 
those  who  in  later  years  accompanied  him  on  walks  in  the  woods, 
for  they  would  say  that  he  could  not  have  been  lost,  in  the  sense  of 
losing,  his  direction. 

After  returning  to  the  East,  Walter  Hinchman  joined  General 
Palmer  in  Washington,  where  they  were  engaged  in  railroad  matters, 
especially  in  connection  with  the  projected  Denver  and  Rio  Grande 
Railroad.  Congressional  action  was  slow,  however,  and,  at  General 
Palmer's  advice,  Hinchman  left  Washington  and  worked  for  a  while 
in  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  shops  at  Altoona.  By  the  first  of  the 
year,  1869,  he  was  doing  draughting  for  the  Pennsylvania  Steel  Co., 
at  Steelton,  Pa.,  but  keeping  up  his  connection  with  General  Palmer 
and  railroad  friends,  and,  spurred  on  by  the  "Wanderlust,"  he  went 
again  to  the  West,  late  in  the  same  year,  this  time  with  the  Central 
Pacific  Railroad.  He  met  with  Indians  again,  as  his  sketches  show, 
but  they  seem  to  have  been  of  the  more  peaceable  variety.*  He  appa- 
rently returned  from  this  trip  sometime  in  the  spring,  for  in  the 
summer  of  1870  he  made  a  visit  to  his  mother  and  uncle,  who  had 
built  a  home  near  Burlington,  New  Jersey.  Early  in  1871,  however, 
he  was  again  on  the  march,  this  time  to  the  far  Xorthwest  with  a 
party  that  included  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell,  Samuel  M  Felton,  Governor 
J.  Gregory  Smith,  William  B.  Ogden,  Miss  Maria  Audubon,  and 
others.  They  spent  all  of  the  spring  and  summer  in  Minnesota, 
especially  in  the  neighborhood  of  Duluth  and  at  various  points  along 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  but  by  October  5th  Hinchman  was 
back  in  the  East  on  his  way  to  join  ex-Governor  Smith,  of  Vermont, 
at  St.  Albans. 

He  had  accepted  the  position  of  private  secretary  to  the  Gover- 
nor, who  was  then  President  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  and 
the  Vermont  Central  Railroad,  and  stayed  with  him  from  two  to 
three  vears.  He  then  joined  his  brother  Charles  in  Philadelphia, 
with  whom  he  stayed,  off  and  on,  for  three  years.    During  these 

*See  pp.  112.  113. 


4') 


50 


years  he  worked  with  his  brother  in  the  office  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Steel  Co.,  or  went  up  to  Steelton  to  test  rails,  and  for  a  while  had 
charge  of  the  blast  furnace  there.  This  last  job  he  gave  up  on 
account  of  his  eyes,  which  he  had  strained  over  draughting  work 
some  years  before  and  which  troubled  him  more  or  less  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  At  one  time,  in  1875,  when  he  was  forced  to  quit  alto- 
gether, he  went  with  Dr.  Joseph  Taylor  to  Florida.  In  1877,  after 
eight  years  separation  from  General  Palmer,  he  moved  to  New  York 
and  entered  the  service  of  the  now-established  Denver  and  Rio  Grande 
Railroad,  of  which  he  soon  became  treasurer. 

As  early  as  1872,  General  Palmer  was  considering  a  Mexican 
railway  and  went  to  Mexico,  but  the  first  record  of  Walter  Hinch- 
man  in  Mexico  is  the  date  1882  on  one  of  his  sketches,  ''a  bordo  vel 
vapore,  Whitney."  *  One  of  the  chief  memories  of  his  nephews  and 
nieces  is  his  frequent  appearance,  in  the  eighties,  with  bright  Mexican 
serapes  and  quaint  earthenware  jars  and  figurines.  During  these 
years  he  learned  Spanish,  his  second  foreign  language. 

Through  his  connection  with  the  West,  and  his  trip  to  Minne- 
sota, he  became  interested  in  the  Western  Land  Association,  in  which 
both  he  and  his  brother  took  an  active  part,  while  his  association 
with  General  Palmer  and  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  led  him  to 
become  affiliated  with  the  Mexican  National  Construction  Company. 
These  three  remained  his  chief  business  activities  for  upwards  of 
thirty  years,  and  in  one  or  another  he  always  held  some  official 
position. 

He  continued  to  travel  in  connection  with  his  business,  but  his 
wanderings,  his  university  training,  were  now  over.  Years  later, 
when  one  of  his  nephews  projected  further  study  at  the  University 
of  Berlin,  he  remarked:  "Study  in  Berlin's  all  right,  T  suppose:  but 
travel;  that's  the  great  education.  See  how  other  people  live  and 
think."  Anyone  who  knew  Walter  Hinchman  in  his  later  years  must 
realize,  not  only  what  business  experience  he  gained  from  the  ten 
years  of  travel  and  various  activity,  but  what  a  vast  store  of  infor- 
mation and  human  knowledge  he  laid  up  for  himself. 

He  walked  daily,  rain  or  shine,  from  the  Buckingham  Hotel. 
50th  and  Fifth  Avenue,  where  he  lived  for  over  forty  years,  to  his 

*  See  p.  88. 


51 


office  in  lower  New  York,  which  he  occupied  all  these  years  in  asso- 
ciation with  General  Palmer.  This  latter  half  of  his  life,  though 
lacking  in  the  picturesque  activity  of  the  earlier  part,  was  full  of 
the  steady  industry  of  maturer  years.  When  not  attending  to  busi- 
ness he  found  plenty  to  interest  him  in  the  world  of  books,  and  art, 
and  nature,  and,  when  socially  inclined,  he  found  those  who  knew 
him  ever  ready  to  receive  him.  Very  often  the  week-ends,  but  always 
the  Sundays,  even  up  to  his  last  year  of  life,  found  him  at  his  brother's 
homes,  in  Philadelphia  or  at  the  seashore.  In  a  letter,  written  June 
7,  1901,  he  writes  of  the  latter  place: 

"The  southern  coast  of  New  Jersey,  from  Atlantic  City  to  Cape  May, 
has  the  advantage  in  its  firm,  hard,  sandy  shore,  but  I  doubt  whether  even 
Avalon  can  show  better  country  inland  than  Sea  Girt,  which  has  both 
beauties : 

"  'Where  tides  of  grass  break  into  foam  of  flowers, 
And  where  the  wind's  feet  shine  along  the  sea.' 

"We  saw  many  birds,  robins  and  sparrows,  fish-hawks,  crows,  black- 
birds and  shore  birds  were  to  be  expected,  but  what  do  you  think  of 
Baltimore  orioles,  wrens,  catbirds,  warblers,  and  the  great  brown  thrush, 
besides  woodthrushes  and  the  golden-winged  woodpecker,  chewinks, 
chickadees,  pewees,  swifts,  and  swallows? 

"We  saw  fish-hawks  pick  up  dead  fish  from  the  beach,  an  unusual 
proceeding ;  perhaps  the  fog  prevented  them  from  seeing  fish  in  the  water 
or  maybe  the  fish  swam  lower  than  in  sunshiny  weather." 

Many  weary  hours  he  spent  on  jury  duty,  from  which  he  felt 
too  many  men  claimed  exemption.  A  little  incident  connected  with 
this  duty  shows  that  having  once  made  up  his  mind  he  was  a  person 
of  great  determination.  At  one  time  he  could  not  come  to  the  opinion 
of  the  other  eleven  jurors,  and  they  were  held  for  days  and  days,  for 
he  would  not  budge  from  his  conviction.  When  they  were  finally 
released,  his  brother  asked  him  how  it  came  out.  "Oh,  I  convinced 
the  other  eleven,"  he  said. 

The  remarkable  fact  is,  as  someone  said  of  him,  that,  living  alone 
all  these  years,  he  never  became  morose,  but  always  maintained  a 
cheerful  spirit,  tempered  by  a  philosophic  calm. 

French  he  did  not  study  till  he  was  nearly  fifty,  when  he  began 
taking  lessons  from  a  little  French  woman  whom  he  met  at  Lake 
Minnewaska.  where,  after  1892,  he  spent  most  of  his  summers.  He 
nevertheless  mastered  it  sufficiently  to  read  it  easily,  though  he  never 


52 


IT  WAS  DONE  WITH  THIS  INSTRUMENT,  INDEED 


learned  to  speak  it  fluently,  and  he  has  left  some  charming  transla- 
tions of  lyrical  poems  in  that  language.*  It  was  at  Minnewaska, 
too,  that  he  developed  much  interest  in  photography.  As  might  be 
expected,  he  did  not  content  himself  with  mere  "views,"  but  tried 
many  tricks  with  the  camera,  taking  some  amusing  double  pictures 
of  himself,  which  he  labelled  "astrals."  Here,  also,  he  found  great 
pleasure  in  the  mountain  walks  and  wild  creatures,  and  many  of  his 
nature  sketches,  especially  the  studies  of  trees,  belong  to  this  period. 

In  1903-4  a  very  severe  attack  of  pericarditis  kept  him  housed 
for  the  winter.  Before  this,  he  said,  he  had  never  spent  a  day  in 
bed  in  his  life.  He  appeared  to  get  over  it,  though  in  the  sixteen 
years  to  follow  he  no  doubt  had  times  of  suffering  which  he  never 
showed  to  the  outside  world.  As  one  said  of  him,  "He  always  seemed 
to  be  so  much  'on  deck.'  "  This  attack,  however,  no  doubt  contributed 
to  his  decision,  about  1905,  to  retire  from  business.  It  is  a  question 
whether  he  realized  then  that  he  was  liberating  himself  for  the  full 
enjoyment  of  his  congenial  pursuits  in  book  and  field  and  for  the 
radiation,  in  that  enjoyment,  of  the  best  that  was  in  him  among  his 
friends. 

For  some  years  before  his  retirement  from  business,  his  nieces 
and  nephews  had  been  old  enough  to  be  companionable  to  him. 
Together  they  made  trips  variously  to  Mexico,  Canada,  Newfound- 
land, England,  and  Italy,  or  studied  together  the  great  world  of 
nature.  Many  hours  were  spent,  if  not  out-of-doors  in  the  country 
or  in  Central  Park,  in  fascinating  explorations  of  museums.  A  trip 
to  New  York  to  see  "Uncle"  always  meant  a  visit  to  the  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  or  the  Aquarium,  or  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of 
Art,  and  he  showed  by  his  intimate  knowledge  of  them  all  that  he 
also  spent  many  hours  there  alone.  He  was  to  them  a  great  teacher, 
perhaps  from  the  very  fact  that  he  never  assumed  the  position  of 
teacher,  but  rather  that  of  learner  with  them. 

Not  the  least  part  of  his  success  with  children  was  his  amazing 
agility.  At  almost  any  age  he  would  stand  on  his  head  or  play  leap- 
frog or  vault  the  fence  if  a  child  could  be  delighted  thereby.  He 
enjoyed  it  himself,  too.  Only  the  summer  before  his  death,  when 
he  was  out  canoeing  with  two  of  his  nieces,  he  insisted  on  performing 

*  Pp.  228-229,  etc. 


55 


AEOLIAN  HARP 


Made  by  Walter  Hihchman 


acrobatic  feats  along  the  edge  of  the  canoe,  much  to  their  astonishment 
and  remonstrance.  Hand-in-hand,  as  a  source  of  entertainment  to 
children,  went  his  dexterity  with  tools.  In  the  fifties  he  had  amused 
his  little  cousins  at  Cincinnati  by  making  marvelous  toys.  Sixty  years 
later  he  was  still  doing  the  same  sort  of  thing  for  his  grand-nephews 
and  grand-nieces,  an  Aeolian  harp,  beautifully  fashioned,  to  beguile 
a  rainy  day,  wonderful  birds  out  of  milkweed  seed-pods,  or  a  perfect 
little  cantilever  bridge  out  of  pins  and  note-paper. 

Young  people  always  loved  him.  His  knowledge  seemed  encyclo- 
pedic; he  was  always  ready  for  what  interested  them — he  was  never 
"too  busy,"  and  he  was  ready,  too, 

"With  step 
So  active,  so  enquiring  eye,  or  tongue 
So  varied  in  discourse." 

A  delightful  picture  of  him  and  of  what  he  meant  to  young  men 
is  revealed  in  a  letter  reminiscent  of  a  summer  at  Minnewaska : 

"I  first  met  your  uncle,"  says  the  writer,  "in  the  summer  of  1904, 
which  I  spent  at  Lake  Minnewaska.  I  had  a  very  difficult  job  of  tutoring 
that  summer,  and  had  to  spend  many  weary  hours  cudgeling  knowledge 
into  a  sluggish  brain.  What  would  have  been  a  dull  task  was  changed 
into  a  pleasant  vacation,  largely  through  the  friendship  of  your  uncle. 
We  often  arranged  to  spend  my  few  free  hours  in  the  clay  walking  over 
the  mountains,  and  there  he  was  at  his  best.  I  have  always  fancied  that 
I  was  some  walker  myself,  but  his  light,  springy  stride  taxed  me  to  the 
utmost.  Everything  on  the  hillside  suggested  comment,  and  the  best  of 
those  walks  was  that  our  brains  were  always  as  active  as  our  feet.  I 


56 


THE  SHAWANGUNK  CLUB,  MINNEWASKA 


remember  one  priceless  clay  he  told  me  he  had  a  surprise  for  me  and  led 
me  by  new  paths  to  a  ridge  overhanging  a  deep  ravine.  We  crept  down 
to  the  edge  of  the  ravine  in  silence  and  then  he  told  me  to  listen,  and 
by  and  by  came  stealing  up  from  the  ravine  the  song  of  the  winter  wren. 
The  melody  was  so  precious  that  it  seemed  closely  allied  to  silence.  In 
fact,  we  agreed  afterwards  that  we  could  not  tell  as  the  song  mounted 
higher  and  higher  just  when  it  ceased.  Your  uncle's  theory  as  we  walked 
home  was  that  the  human  ear  is  capable  of  registering  sound  only  within 
certain  limits,  and  that  the  little  feathered  throat  we  never  saw  went  on 
giving  out  the  precious  melody  long  after  our  human  ears  had  failed  to 
follow  the  flight  of  the  song. 

"One  of  the  kindest  things  your  uncle  did  for  me  was  to  make  me 
a  'silent'  member  of  the  Tiberius  Club.  I  say  'silent'  advisedly,  because 
no  youth  of  my  age  would  have  dared  to  open  his  lips  in  that  august 
throng.  The  Tiberius  Club  solved  the  problems  of  the  evenings.  After 
dinner  they  would  meet,  a  group  of  keen  minds,  possibly  lawyers  and 
business  men,  but  scholars  all.  The  opening  rite  would  be  the  kindling 
of  the  fire,  a  task  which  your  uncle  always  performed,  using  only  the 


57 


back  of  an  envelope  and  one  stick  of  wood  for  kindling.  The  group 
always  watched  with  great  care  this  proceeding,  and  the  invariable  success 
of  the  fire  always  made  the  lighter  of  it  beam  with  conscious  pride.  The 
Club  received  its  name  because  of  the  eternal  controversy  which  was 
always  in  the  background  as  to  the  character  of  the  Emperor  Tiberius. 
The  conversation  was  always  brilliant,  and  might  play  over  every  topic 
of  past,  present,  and  future  interests,  but  the  shade  of  the  Emperor 
Tiberius  always  lurked  in  the  chimney  corner  to  be  dragged  out  by  your 
uncle  when  the  conversation  flagged.  Old  Mr.  de  Peyster  and  Mr.  Spack- 
man  were  the  leaders  of  the  debate.  All  your  uncle  needed  to  say  was  a 
few  words  to  arouse  the  speaker  into  eloquent  presentation  of  his  side 
of  the  case,  and  then  your  uncle  would  settle  back  with  a  chuckle  and 
listen.  When  he  once  got  Mr.  de  Peyster  started,  he  would  nudge  me 
and  call  my  attention  to  his  gestures,  to  notice  especially  his  fingers,  which 
in  their  grace  and  curve  your  uncle  was  always  wont  to  compare  to  the 
tips  of  hemlock  boughs  that  he  loved  so  well. 

"It  was,  I  think,  characteristic  of  him  that  he  would  stimulate  con- 
versation, rather  than  take  part  in  it.  His  keen  wit  could  play  about  on 
any  subject,  but  he  had  a  rare  faculty  of  enjoying  the  wit  of  others  more 
than  he  did  his  own,  and  that  is  one  thing  that  made  him  such  a  friend 
of  mine  as  a  young  man.  I  was  at  the  stage  of  life  when  I  was  eager 
to  express  myself,  and  his  skill  in  drawing  me  out  always  made  me  feel 
when  I  was  with  him  that  I  was  at  my  very  best.  I  am  content  to  repeat 
that  last  statement  ...  as  an  expression  of  his  friendship  to  me  and 
to  other  young  men :  when  we  were  with  him  we  were  at  our  best.  I 
wonder  if  any  higher  tribute  could  be  made." 

And  another  young  man : 

"Perhaps  of  all  the  grown-ups  of  my  boyhood,  Cousin  Walter  was 
the  most  companionable  and  the  nearest  to  being  a  companion  and  friend; 
or,  rather,  there  is  no  perhaps  about  it.  He  was  unique  in  the  power 
to  bridge  the  gulf  that  is  the  ordinary  accompaniment  of  a  difference  in 
age.  He  swam,  ran,  walked  with  us,  took  photos,  and  took  part  in  our 
reading,  and  took  us  boys  out  into  nature  with  him,  and  seemingly  came 
down  to  our  level  and  back  to  our  age  with  us." 

Walter  Hinchman's  memory,  especially  for  poetry,  was  remark- 
able. Not  only  could  he  quote  Scripture  or  cap  verses,  in  the  days 
of  gentler  pastimes,  but  he  could  recite  long  passages  of  almost 
anything  he  had  read,  even  after  a  lapse  of  many  years.  Shortly 
before  his  death,  in  speaking  of  his  youth,  he  told  how  an  acquaint- 
ance invited  him,  when  a  boy  in  Cincinnati,  to  attend  the  meeting  of 
a  club  where  an  actor  was  going  to  speak.    He  said  that  this  was 


58 


WALTER  HINCHMAN  AT  MINNEWASKA 


the  first  time  he  had  ever  heard  anything  rendered  in  dramatic 
fashion;  and,  being  a  tragic  piece,  it  had  seemed  really  terrible  to 
him.  He  then  proceeded  to  recite  the  verses  which  the  actor  had 
spoken,  whereupon  one  of  his  auditors  remarked,  "How  well  you 
remember  it  after  all  these  years."  "I  haven't  thought  of  it  from 
that  day  to  this,"  he  replied.  Again,  standing  on  a  narrow  rock  high 
above  the  sea  at  Tintagel,  he  suddenly  began  reciting  a  page  or  more 
of  The  Last  Tournament,  growing  dramatic  with  the  recitation  and 
nearly  throwing  himself  off  the  cliff  when,  impersonating  Isolt,  he 
"belted"  an  imaginary  Tristram  "with  her  white  embrace."  When 
one  of  his  nephews  supposed  that  he  had  just  been  re-reading  the 
poem,  he  said  that  he  had  not  seen  it  for  forty  years.  Possessed  of 
a  pleasing,  though  not  powerful  voice,  and  of  an  excellent  ear  for 
time,  he  read  and  recited  well — dramatic  verse  especially,  in  which 
he  brought  out  the  tone  of  voice  implied  in  the  lines.  Lyrical  verse 
he  frequently  recited  with  a  curious  sing-song,  but  almost  musical, 
lilt.  Certain  favorite  lines  he  would  thus  repeat  over  and  over  quietly 
to  himself,  much  as  one  might  whistle.  Among  these  perhaps  the 
chief  was : 

"Thus  sang  they  in  the  English  boat 
A  holy  and  a  cheerful  note ; 
And  all  the  way,  to  guide  their  chime, 
With  falling  oars  they  kept  the  time" ; 
And  a  visit  to  his  brother's  summer  home  at  Sea  Girt,  New  Jersey, 
invariably  found  him  humming: 

"The  tumbling  ruins  of  the  o-ce-an." 
On  the  lighter  side  his  dramatic  instinct  showed  itself  in  great 
powers  of  mimicry,  both  of  animals  and  human  beings,  so  that  his 
anecdotes  had  color  as  well  as  point.  To  hear  him  recite  Shamus 
O'Brien  in  perfect  Irish  brogue  was  a  great  treat.  On  this  side, 
too,  he  bubbled  over,  among  intimate  friends,  with  an  Elizabethan 
love  of  word-play  and  puns. 

That  many  of  his  accomplishments  were  unknown  to  his  larger 
circle  of  friends  is  only  another  way  of  emphasizing  his  modesty  and 
self-effacement.  As  Dr.  Johnson  said  of  Burke,  he  "never  talked 
from  a  desire  of  distinction,  but  because  his  mind  was  full" ;  yet  even 
his  sheer  love  of  discussion  he  curbed  among  any  but  the  most  inti- 


60 


mate.  But  any  who  knew  him  can  bear  witness  to  the  charm  of  his 
manners  and  the  winsomeness  of  his  smile.  No  sketch  of  his  char- 
acteristics, moreover  would  be  complete  without  mention  of  his 
exquisite  neatness  and  his  care  to  keep  in  good  physical  condition. 
Though  he  rarely  gave  advice,  even  to  his  nephews,  one  of  his  favorite 
quotations  was  to  remind  them  that  the  body  was  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.    He  practiced  what  he  preached. 

In  1903  he  joined  the  Century  Association,  and  there,  as  the  years 
passed,  he  found  particularly  happy  surroundings  and  congenial 
friends.  After  retiring  from  business  he  passed  most  of  his  time  at 
the  Century,  and,  though  he  made  occasional  trips  abroad  and  spent 
summers  at  Minnewaska,  he  returned  always  to  the  Century  as  his 
home. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1920  a  severe  illness  proved  too  much  for 
his  heart,  and,  though  he  rallied  for  a  time,  he  weakened  with  the 
approach  of  warm  weather  and  died  on  June  9th,  at  his  sister-in- 
law's  summer  home,  at  Sea  Girt,  New  Jersey.  He  was  buried  beside 
his  brother  in  Friends  Southwestern  Burying  Ground,  in  the  suburbs 
of  Philadelphia. 

What  strikes  one  most,  perhaps,  in  looking  back  over  the  entire 
life  of  Walter  Hinchman  is  the  remarkable  balance  of  an  artistic 
nature,  with  business  intelligence  and  with  a  high  sense  of  duty  and 
self-discipline.  Possibly  even  more  fundamental  was  his  quick  sym- 
pathy. One  of  his  friends,  speaking  of  him,  says :  "He  stood  very 
near  to  his  friends  by  virtue  of  many  avenues  of  approach,  all  of 
which  led  to  his  warm  heart  and  sympathetic  mind.  I  state  it  thus, 
for  whatever  leads  us  out  of  ourselves  quickens,  deepens,  and 
strengthens  the  personal  relation  in  us.  And  this  more  than  almost 
any  man  in  the  Century  he  was  able  to  effect  through  his  genial 
manner  and  extreme  friendliness.  This  bent  helped  to  educate  the 
individual  in  us  and  establish  a  relationship  which  made  his  presence 
ever  welcome.  'He  was  universally  interesting  because  he  was 
universally  interested.'  " 

A  few  years  before  his  death,  finding  that  one  of  his  Century 
friends  had  been  commanded  by  the  doctor  to  give  up  smoking, 
Walter  Hinchman  told  him  that  he  would  join  him  in  his  resolve  to 
help  him  keep  it,  and  from  that  time  to  his  death  he  never  smoked 


61 


again.  It  was  characteristic  of  him  to  do  that  sort  of  thing;  it  was 
still  more  like  him  never  to  speak  of  it.  This  friend  said  of  him: 
"He  was  a  great  teacher,  who  taught  mainly  by  example,  not  by 
precept,  as  all  great  teachers  have  done  ever.  He  always  went  where 
he  was  wanted,  and  whenever  he  went  they  always  wanted  him  more 
and  more." 

Still  another,  his  most  intimate  friend,  who  had  known  him,  not 
only  at  the  Century,  but  throughout  his  earlier  years,  says  that  he 
"never  heard  him  say  a  foul  thing,  nor  a  mean  thing,  though  this  by 
no  means  implied  any  weakness.  No  one  could  impose  upon  him, 
and  none  was  so  quick  as  he  to  denounce  humbug  or  mawkish 
sentimentality." 

One  cannot  help  missing  the  contact  of  so  pleasing  a  personality, 
but  one  cannot  genuinely  mourn  a  life  so  well  rounded  and  so  well 
spent,  a  thought  which  Dr.  Joseph  Duryee,  one  of  his  beloved  Cen- 
turions, feelingly  expressed  in  the  following  words  spoken  at  the 
funeral,  June  12,  1920: 

"We  gather  in  this  home  today  to  pay  tribute  to  one  who  in  a  long 
life  has  brightened,  helped,  and  inspired  us.  It  is  my  privilege  to  speak 
the  thoughts  of  many  he  loved  with  a  loyal  devotion  that  for  each  one 
had  added  new  meaning  to  the  great  word  'friend.' 

"When  a  life  endowed  with  singular  mental  vigor,  ennobled  by 
worthy  and  patient  labor,  enriched  by  varied  study  and  learning,  and 
dignified  by  simple  and  gracious  manners  ends,  there  is  no  reason  to 
mourn  or  to  deplore.  No  mists  of  pain  or  sorrow,  no  chilling  sense  of 
loss,  should  obscure  the  perfect  satisfaction  that  comes  as  we  realize 
how  good  it  is  for  us  to  have  known  Walter  Hinchman. 

"'Not  thee  we  mourn,  O  friend!  as  fall  our  tears.  Thine  is  the 
rest,  the  glory,  and  the  gain.  We  grieve  that  we  more  lonely  walk  the 
years  and  weaker  turn  to  earthly  toil  and  pain.'  His  example  speaks  to 
us  of  the  inestimable  value  of  a  character  wholesome,  winsome,  gentle, 
and  unselfish.  Compared  with  this,  nothing  else  is  much  worth  while. 
These  characteristics  were  distinctive  in  our  friend.  His  delight  in  knowl- 
edge. How  persistently  he  gathered  at  their  source  and  made  his  own 
the  facts  and  truths  that  are  of  interest.  More  than  almost  any  mind  I 
have  known,  his  was  encyclopedic.  How  wonderful  was  his  power  of 
impartation.  Somehow  he  trained  himself  to  command  at  will  any  part 
of  his  knowledge  and  clearly  and  happily  give  to  others.  We,  with  whom 
he  mingled  constantly  in  a  most  friendly  place,  were  ever  enriched  by  his 
recollections  and  suggestions.    It  was  always  good  for  us  to  be  with  him, 


62 


63 


his  alertness  stimulated  our  minds,  he  was  so  sound  in  judgment,  his 
sympathy  was  so  broad  and  unaffected.  It  is  no  effort  for  the  stars  to 
shine,  and  the  sparkle  in  his  eye,  the  harmony  in  his  voice,  the  winsome- 
ness  of  his  smile  always  brightened  the  room  in  which  he  sat.  How  we 
shall  miss  his  wit,  his  humor,  his  keen  perceptions,  his  fine  discrimina- 
tions ;  but,  most  of  all,  his  presence  in  our  midst.  We  loved  him  because 
we  knew  he  loved  us.  His  memory,  his  abiding  influence,  is  a  rich 
inheritance. 

"As  1  think  of  Walter  Hinchman,  his  attitude  toward  life,  and  his 
estimate  of  its  values,  I  am  reminded  of  an  imperishable  saying  of  St. 
Paul,  the  noblest  of  all  definitions  of  the  ideal  of  human  education : 
'Whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are  honorable,  whatsoever 
things  are  just,  whatsoever  things  are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovable, 
whatsoever  things  are  of  good  report;  take  account  of  these.'  One  other 
thought :  What  kept  our  friend  through  a  long  life  of  vicissitude,  through 
sorrows  of  which  he  never  spoke,  through  loneliness,  the  greatest  test 
of  all,  and  made  him  the  loyal  gentleman,  the  trusted  comrade,  the  ever- 
helpful  friend?  May  it  not  have  been  because  'he  gave  his  heart  to  the 
Purifier  and  his  will  to  the  Sovereign  Will  of  the  Universe?'  We  leave 
him 

"  'To  the  silent  memory  that  sings 

A  ceaseless  requiem  to  our  loved  dead.' 

"  'Eternal  rest  grant  unto  him,  O  Lord, 
And  let  perpetual  light  shine  on  him.'  " 


(A 


BOYHOOD  SKETCHES 


0  id 


65 


67 


68 


69 


70 


71 


CHARACTER  SKETCHES 
MECHANICS  IN  OHIO 


a 


74 


75 


76 


77 


78 


79 


80 


EARLY  AND  MISCELLANEOUS 
SKETCHES 


ttty 


81 


V, 


* 


82 


SKETCH    OF    SAMUEL    W1LKESON    ON    TITLE  PAGE 

OF  paschal's  annotated  constitution,  given 

BY  THE  AUTHOR  TO  SAMUEL  WILKESON  IN  1868, 
WHO    IN    TURN    GAVE    IT    TO    WALTER  H1NCHMAN 


83 


85 


86 


87 


88 


\ 


CENTRAL  AND  UNION  PACIFIC  TRIP 

i  869-70 


90 


91 


92 


93 


94 


95 


96 


97 


98 


99 


100 


NORTHERN  PACIFIC  TRIP 
1871 


102 


103 


104 


105 


> 


106 


107 


108 


109 


110 


Ill 


112 


114 


ODD  SKETCHES 

MOSTLY  DRAWN  ON  TRAINS 


116 


117 


118 


119 


0 


L  Z 


^^^uuL  iA  u  cl  Fez  Aunt 


120 


•  t4 


121 


< 

Q 
O 


122 


STUDIES  OF  TREES  AT  MINNEWASKA 


124 


125 


126 


127 


12S 


129 


\M) 


131 


132 


133 


134 


135 


136 


137 


138 


139 


140 


141 


142 


143 


144 


145 


146 


147 


148 


149 


150 


STUDIES  OF  ANIMALS  AND  BIRDS 


152 


153 


154 


155 


156 


/ 


158 


lU  Ji 


159 


160 


161 


162 


163 


SEA  GIRT,  1915 


164 


166 


167 


168 


169 


170 


INSECTS  AND  FLOWERS 


173 


174 


175 


176 


177 


Ske  eft-Laurel,  or  Lamb  kill. 


178 


179 


LANDSCAPES  AND  DECORATIONS 


182 


184 


LATER  PORTRAIT  SKETCHES 


188 


189 


190 


to 


191 


192 


193 


194 


196 


197 


198 


ORIGINAL  POEMS 


^-|xvu  <L<A^u>fc  aMiKv^g  ^P^Lh^i  oMA<tS^  i(s*Ajdo, 


Dear  Daisy:  March  31,  1894. 

The  spring  poet  has  broken  loose — get  your  waste-basket  ready. 

Walking  in  the  park  this  afternoon  I  found  the  enclosed  effusion,  though  I  did  not  hear 
any  "peepers,"  nor  see  anything  resembling  the  sketch  which  heads  the  lines,  and  which,  I 
suppose,  is  intended  for  a  hyla!    I  wish  you  would  draw  a  good  one  for  me. 

Please  tell  your  father  that  I  expect  to  be  in  Philadelphia  Monday  and  perhaps  part  of 
Tuesday  also. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Walter  II  inch  man. 


200 


OXfi^v-  ^oMJit  4y(iJU/v^>  un^dl^  r^juJI^^ 


urk^t,  >4x4mc^  <^qaaJy^  j^Jbn^M  umv&l  (Ia*JL 

is  ^ 


201 


ALENTINE'5  ^  ?>^al^Us^  jlojuU ' 


QjLiixJt   ^U^xXu£>  &H^lv    &>^Uu-  -fad  >WcuJuf 


202 


*yb^cL  Cbioyy^  {JuiJ  'cLou^m    Only   Jxm^uU  , 
jii^JL  ally  ^  Cm^Iyi^^r^^  c&zJiu^lXj  . 

^^cc^X  3  doll;  tAxs>    TkOazUvv  Y^sxaJD, 
QgHjJL^L  txyyi^JU  CoJCil,  fjJi>€^tZ^  -tjH/nJy^    CLclMla^  ! 


203 


February  14,  1896. 


While  yet  the  fields  are  flecked  with  snow, 

And  fountains  form  an  icy  cup, 
And  winds  through  leafless  branches  blow, 

St.  Valentine  wakes  Cupid  up! 

At  once,  in  general  chorus,  ring 

Rhymes  rudely  wrought,  or  murmuring  sweet ; 
And  with  the  rest  who  tribute  bring, 

I  lay  mine  at  my  lady's  feet. 

And  though  Italian  grace  I  need 
And  skill,  to  praise  her  as  I  should. 

Her  wit,  in  my  crude  lines  will  read, 
Not  what  I  write,  but  what  I  would. 


204 


February  14,  1896 


Dear  Peggy,  may  your  heart  incline 
To  choose  me  for  your  Valentine ; 
Or,  if  such  pref'rence  be  not  shown, 
Still  in  your  circle  count  me  one. 
I  would,  to  win  your  fav'ring  smile, 
Sing,  in  E-liz-a-be-than  style, 

" Sweet,  be  not  proud  of  those  two  eyes, 
Which  starlike  sparkle  in  their  skies; 
Nor  be  you  proud,  that  you  can  see 
All  hearts  your  captives;  yours  yet  free.,? 

Then  (if  I'm  further  speech  allowed), 
I'll  say,  you're  too  good  to  be  proud; 
That  merit  needs  must  conscious  be, 
And  know  its  worth  as  well  as  we : 
And  let  her  fancy  have  free  scope. 
For,  till  she  chooses,  all  may  hope. 
So  while  such  hope  sustains  my  steps. 
I  sign  myself :  yours,  Samuel  Pepvs. 


205 


206 


^fc^Cuh  ^xxvurvx^  ^AjQ^AJUU/  frr  tJu^fco        .  4jUL£ . 


all 

-fuisv^  I^JUucL   o-y^y  ^CU^aJ1  <j^XL  ! 


207 


March  25,  1897. 

Dear  Daisy: 

Opening  my  portfolio,  to  make  Dr.  Duryee's  portrait  lie  straight,  I 
came  upon  the  enclosed  sketch,  made  last  month,  to  send  to  a  certain 
young  lady,  then  thrown  aside  and  an  old  monk  drawn  instead.  Now, 
remembering  your  discourse  last  evening,  I  venture  to  submit  this  as 
answering  your  prescription  for  a  picture,  viz.,  it  illustrates  nothing,  and 
its  meaning  can  neither  be  descried  nor  described.  (I  remember  thinking 
that  the  rings  might  jingle  under  the  hammer,  but  somehow  the  rhymes 
would  not.) 

You  like  Scribner.  Have  you  read  this  month's  art  notes  on  the 
beauty  of  pure  line?  That  seemed  to  me  good  sense,  but  the  critic  did 
not  stop  with  words  only,  but  referred  to  a  drawing  on  a  previous  page, 
in  which  I  could  take  no  pleasure  at  all!  Thus  do  tastes  differ.  So  you 
will  tell  me  my  sketch  is  all  wrong  and  is  no  "picture."  Very  well;  into 
the  waste-basket  with  him,  and  have  a  new  theory  for  me  to  oppose  next 
Monday. 

Yours  very  truly, 

W.  H. 


208 


y  almund 


February  14,  1898 

On  February's  fourteenth  day, 

When  loves  and  doves  and  Cupids  twine, 
And  every  youthful  heart  is  gay, 

Responsive  to  its  Valentine, 
E'en  age  may  feel  the  magic  glow, 

(As  sap  in  ancient  trees  will  stir). 
And  I — a  pretty  girl,  I  know — 

It  warms  the  heart  to  think  of  her. 

But  ah,  the  dream  of  maiden  blithe 

Let  grizzled  age  to  youth  resign, 
For  Time's  inexorable  scythe 

To  Vale  clips  my  Valentine! 


209 


February  13,  1899. 

Dear  Daisy  : 

I  know  that  I  wrote  Vale  to  you  last  year,  but,  like  Patti's  farewells, 
or  Rip  Van  Winkle's  cups,  it  does  not  seem  to  count  this  time,  for  here 
is  February  again  and  here  am  I,  and  (do  I  hear  you  say),  "here's  the 
wall  and  the  sun's  gone  down!" 

But  it  is  all  because  of  the  blizzard  and  of  my  having  become  aware 
that  there  are  just  the  right  number  of  letters  in  your  name  for  a  sonnet. 

However,  this  is  positively  the  last  sending.  The  puns  are  getting 
worse  and  worse ;  anon  I  must  stop,  so  this  goes 

Anonymously. 

My  lady  casts  a  spell  on  me, 

Wherefore  I  spell  her  name, 
And  let  her  letters  lead  my  lines, 

That  she  may  see  the  same. 

A  cross  is  something  hard  to  bear, 

Yet  all  would  get  across  quick; 
A  cross  stick  is  a  cross  old  bear, 

But  not  so  this  acrostic. 

This  is  really  too  bad.  Let  it  be  expunged.  P.  T.  O.,  which 
stands  for  please  tear  off,  as  well  as  "please  turn  over." 


210 


211 


To  a  sin  inner  girl — 

"The  opinion  of  Pythagoras  concerning  wildfowl.'' 

St.  Valentine's  Day, 

February  14,  1904. 

Although  one's  dear  be  called  a  "duck," 

Beware  the  trope's  abuse; 
Take  waterfowl  for  zvhat-are-fair, 
And  fancy  (in  Awosting  *  air), 

May  call  a  girl  a  goose ! 

A  statelier  imagery  is  mine, 

Swanlike,  dear  maiden,  you're 
My  cygnet — be  my  Valentine 
And  let  your  future  lot  be  mine, 

And  make  my  signature. 

l'envoi 

To  Daisy,  thus,  on  Cupid's  clay, 

I  tell  anew, 
What  all  young  men  would  like  to  say, 

And  old  ones,  too! 


Awosting  :    Name  of  a  place,  an  old  Indian  word,  meaning  wild  goose. —  Ed. 


212 


Saint  Valentine's  Day, 

February  14,  1914. 

When  Eden  bloomed,  a  garden  fair, 

Without  a  soul  to  reap  it, 
The  Lord  appointed  Adam  there 

'To  dress  it  and  to  keep  it." 

"It  is  not  good  to  be  alone," 

So,  helping  his  endeavor, 
Eve  came,  and  soon  made  Adam  own 

His  love  for  Eve  forever. 

Some  cynics  Eve  in  cv\\  find, 

(A  myth  long  taught  in  college), 
Whereas,  'twas  Eve's  inquiring  mind 

First  led  the  way  to  knowledge ! 

By  her  example  learn  we  may, 

Whate'er  our  rank  or  station, 
If  we  would  walk  in  wisdom's  way, 

Attain  by  a/>/>/ication. 

Eve's  "heaven's  last,  best  gift"  to  man  ; 

She  ate  before  he  dared  to! 
And  thru  Eve's  aid  he  may  evade 

Some  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to. 

Envoy 

Dear  later  Eve,  in  this  our  day, 

O  will  you  not  incline 
To  light  a  later  Adam's  way 

And  be  his  Valentine? 


213 


TOTAL  DEPRAVITY 
"Sir,  the  man  who  would  make  a  pun  would  steal  a  sheep." 

We  wonder  at  the  girl  from  college  Dr-  Johnson 

Whose  small  noil  holds  such  heaps  of  knowledge, 

But  there's  an  art-league-girl  completer 

Can  give  the  other  points,  and  beat  her ! 

If  you  learn  science  through  her  media 

You'll  sigh  for  such  a  cyclopedia. 

One  thing  she  hates  (or  else  pretends), 

She  doesn't  like  her  punning  friends. 

Well,  some  folks  find  such  humor  fable, 

To  Carlyle,  Lamb  was  lamentable, 

And  puns  have  caused  no  end  of  pain 

Since  "Eve  Seth,  Adam,  Abel  Cain." 

Perhaps  e'en  now  old  Cato's  wraith 

With  puns  impugns  the  punic  faith. 

And  you  may  (if  hate  lasts  below), 

Mark  Antony  kick  Cicero. 

To  play  on  words  men  have  inclined, 

And  practiced  puns,  time  out  of  mind, 

Made  game  of  all  things,  feared  no  frown. 

Mahan  may  hand  his  hist'ry  down, 

Tell  what  has  been,  and  what  must  be, 

When  one  neglects  controlling  sea ; 

Then,  I  see  fruit,  which  "can't  elope," 

Become  a  graceful  "antelope." 

Be,  learned  lady,  not  irate 

That  I  with  puns  thus  punctuate ; 

Like  pedlar's  gew-gaws  they're  displayed 

To  catch  the  eye  of  man  or  maid, 

And,  since  you  chose  this  name  to  strike  us, 

"Autolvcus,"  you  ought  to  like  us. 

And  yet  you  don't.    What's  that  you  tell  us. 

There's  someone  else!  but,  I'm  not  jealous. 

May  14.  1897. 
Sentence. — -To  be  immediately  committed  to  the  flames. 


214 


Formulae  for  impressionist  landscapes,  deduced  from  recent  con- 
versation at  "820"  : 

January,  1898. 

Style  No.  1 

A  misty,  moisty,  muggy  morning  gray, 

A  sweetly,  sadly,  sombre,  sylvan  scene, 
A  dancing  nymph,  a  ghost,  a  faun,  or  fay, 

Quite  dimly  daubed  upon  a  dismal  green, 
Wan,  withered  leaves  a-wired  to  weird  trees, 

Whose  scraggling  branches  scarify  the  sky. 
All  blend  a  symphony  of  harmonies 

Whose  vagueness  wins  the  soul,  we  know  not  why. 


Style  No.  2 

Take  pots  of  paints  of  many  vivid  hues, 

Large  brushes,  breadth  of  manner  to  allow. 
With  rainbow  tints  the  Atmosphere  suffuse, 

In  middle  distance  splotch  a  purple  cow. 
Untrammeled  by  exactitude  of  line, 

Foreshortened,  or  hindshortened  though  she  be, 
A  select  few  thv  purpose  will  divine 

And  own  a  Something  beyond  what  we  see. 
Don't  try  to  imitate  existing  things. 

Bad  drawing  leaves  imagination  free. 
Lay  on  then,  heedless  of  Philistine  flings. 

For  this  is  Art,  and  that's  enough  for  thee! 


215 


2 


216 


Dear  girls,  who  feel  the  Fine  Arts  call, 
And  beaux-ideals  are  seizing, 

Know  that,  what  comprehends  them  all, 
Is  just  the  art  of  pleasing. 

And  if  you  seek  to  follow  those 

Who  form  and  color  know, 
Give  little  heed  to  silly  beaux, 

Yet  see — Ce-cilia  Beaux. 


The  clanging  bell  of  breakfast  tolled, 

In  haste  I  join  the  folks, 
And  find  that  H.O.T.  is  cold, 

And  Joe  cares  not  for  jokes. 

O  friends,  what  means  the  solemn  look 

That  round  the  table  runs  ? 
Why,  Daisy's  fiat  has  gone  forth, 

She  cries  fie  at  all  puns. 

So  quit  your  quips  and  quibbles  queer. 

And  speak  no  longer  thus, 
For  as  your  days  are  growing  sere. 

You  should  grow  serious. 

For  Daisy's  favor,  to  be  sure, 

My  ways  I'll  gladly  mend, 
/  have  reformed;  pray  do  not  count 

This  one  which  makes  an  end. 

All  flesh  is  grass  to  be  cut  down 
By  time,  himself  the  sower; 

Yet  if  I  fall  by  Daisy's  frown. 
Time  is  to  me  no  mower. 


218 


TWO  THOUSAND  REASONS  WHY  WE  CELEBRATE  JULY 


The  Seventh  month  (in  ancient  years 

Fifth  by  enumeration), 
Now,  in  mid-summer's  heat,  appears 

A  Hebrew  fabrication.* 

For  he  who  changed  the  calendar, 

And  still  extends  his  fame 
In  "Kaiser,"  "Czar,"  and  "Emperor," 

Gave  to  this  month  his  name. 

But  our  regard  takes  little  heed 

Of  any  Roman  praetor, 
Or  mischievous,  or  mighty  deed, 

Of  Imp,  or  Imperator. 

Howe'er  by  name  or  number  known, 

We  write  in  golden  letters  f 
The  month  which  these  two  birthdays  own; 

Mary's  and  Margaretta's.f 

Whose  coming  cheers  us  on  the  way, 

As  everyone  allows,  and — 
"But  these  are  but  two  reasons,"  nay. 

These  two  M's  are  2,000! 


*  This  atrocious  pun  must  be  attributed  to  the  weather. 

t  These  rhymes  specially  prepared  for  the  New  England  ear. 


219 


PLASTER  OF  PARIS  POETRY 


The  obelisk  in  Central  Park 

Is  slender,  tall,  and  true ; 
And  obviously  this  remark, 

Dear  Anna,  rhymes  with  you. 

Since  Egypt  this  gray  column  nursed 
What  centuries  are  reckoned ! 

"  'Twas  gazed  on  by  Seti  the  first, 
And  here  seat  I  *  a  second  f 

On  park  settee,  J  and  muse  §  upon 
That  arid  country  where  those 

Fair  rows  of  columns,  lotus  crowned. 
Line  palaces  of  Pharaohs. 

But  here  no  lotus  bloom  I  see, 
November  bleak  day  e'er  knows. 

So  Anne,  I'll  send  a  rose  to  thee, 
A  flower  more  fair  than  Pharaoh's. 


*  The  influence  of  Mr.  W.  M.  S.  is  here  apparent 

t  Really  a  minute,  but  it  "wouldn't  come  in  the  rhyme."    Thus  "prose  tells  the 
truth  just  as  it  happened,  while  poetry  makes  it  up  as  it  goes  along." 
t  After  this,  anything  may  be  expected. 

§  Probably  a  covert  allusion  to  the  voice  of  the  cat  of  Bubastis. 


220 


Photograph  taken  by  Walter  Hinchman 


221 


"Alone  I  walked  the  ocean  strand," 
I  held  my  hat  with  either  hand, 
When  right  before  me  on  the  strand 
Appeared  a  "pied-billed  dabchick," 
(Or  "grebe,"  or  some  such  loony  bird 
The  like  of  which  I  ne'er  had  heard.) 
It's  keen  eye  ranged  the  waters  wide, 
It's  sharp  beak  turned  from  side  to  side, 
And,  as  the  sea  its  body  laved, 
A  jabblerwocky  wing  it  waved; 
The  sea  receding-  left  it  then 
Quite  helpless  on  the  ground  again. 
Alas,  poor  wounded  bird  (thought  I), 
That  never  more  shall  swim  or  fly ! 
Just  then,  on  wave  of  wider  sweep, 
The  bird  slid  down  into  the  deep. 
Afloat,  with  quick  recovery, 
All  life  and  grace,  it  swam  off  free, 
And,  as  a  crested  billow  reared, 
Dove  through  the  wave  and  disappeared. 

Sea  Girt,  June,  1905. 


222 


THE  RETURN  TO  SEA  GIRT  * 


(Mid-Summer,  1911) 

Though  Sea  Girt's  sounding  surge  and  rounded  dunes  abide, 
And  green  are  lawn  and  hedge,  and  meadows  golden-eyed, 
Though  bright  the  summer  skies,  and  soft  the  south  winds  blow, 
And  birds  in  "sh rubbish"  hide,  just  as  they  used  to  do, — 
Alack!  the  garden's  grace,  which  we  were  wont  to  laud, 
Is  gone — and,  not  by  blight — all  our  best  plants  are  gnawed! 
For,  in  the  neighb'ring  shade  b'rer  rabbit  has  his  lair. 
And  thence  has  made  his  raids  upon  our  flowers  fair. 

The  while,  in  our  first  rage  on  vengeance  dire  we  think, 
Our  Groton  brother  comes,  like  Lowell's  bobolink, 

Gurgling  in  ecstasy  his  sweet  refrain 

Of  "June!  dear  June!  Now  God  be  praised  for  June." 
And  with  him  and  with  her  the  garden  smiles  again. 
Our  angry  thoughts  are  stayed. 

(Memo.)     The  rabbits  we  will  pen. 


*  Written  after  the  marriage  in  June  of  one  of  his  nephews  in  England  to  a 
girl  whose  Christian  name  is  "June." — Ed. 


223 


A  PULLMAN  CAR  PRODUCT 


(Instigated  by  Anne) 

November  28,  1907. 

Problem. — Translation  of  Charles  d'Orleans'  spring  rondel. 

Specifications. — No  thought  or  qualifying  word  to  be  added  or 
omitted :  form,  measure,  rhythm,  and  rhyme  preserved. 

Result. — Cannot  be  called  "inexpressibly  poor,"  since  its  poverty 
is  expressed. 

O  time  hath  cast  his  cloak  away, 

His  cloak  of  wind  and  cold  and  rain, 

And  decks  himself  in  'broideries  fine,* 
With  sunshine  sparkling,  clear  and  gay, 

or 

(With  smiling  sunshine,  clear  and  gay). 

No  bird  nor  beast  but,  in  his  way 

In  song,  or  jargon,  sayeth  plain  f 

That  time  hath  cast  his  cloak  away. 
His  cloak  of  wind  and  cold  and  rain. 

Rivers  and  rills  and  fountains  play. 
And  wear,  on  lovely  liveries,  vain 
or 

(Wearing  a  lovely  livery,  vain) 
With  silver  drops,  a  jeweled  chain,  or  (train), 
And  each  is  dressed  in  new  array, 

or 

(Each  thing  is  newly  clad  again), 
Now  time  has  cast  his  cloak  away. 

*  London  rhyme. 

f  Thus  Cowper,  of  clumsily  capering  cows  in  spring  : 

Though  wild  their  strange  vagaries  and  uncouth  their  play. 
Yet  each  resolved  to  give  such  act  and  utterance  as  they  may 
To  ecstacy  too  big  to  he  suppressed. 


224 


Stilts,  6^  bttHA^t^td/jdJ^  J  <f£*4c^ 

^fi,  ivlttf^,  <db  fatten  tiuU^ 


1ARK 


225 


This  little  rabbit  stands  upon 
A  book  of  letters  by  Fenelon. 
Now,  rabbits  are  not  reckoned  wise, 
Yet  may  this  one  find  in  your  eyes, 
Although  his  wit  be  not  commanding, 
Acceptance  for  his  understanding. 


Ce  petit  lapin,  si  mignon, 
Repose  sur  lettres  du  Fenelon. 
On  n'appelle  pas  le  lapin  sage, 
Mais,  je  vous  prie  que  cette  image, 
Malgre  tout  ga,  accepterez-vous 
Pour  la  sagesse  qu'elle  a  dessous. 


226 


LYRICAL  TRANSLATIONS 


L'AMOUR 


Jeune,  j'aimai — le  temps  de  mon  bel  age, 

Ce  temps  si  court,  l'amour  seul  le  remplit ; 
Ouand  j'atteignis  la  saison  d'etre  sage, 

Tou jours  j'aimai — la  raison  me  le  dit. 
Puis  l'age  vient,  et  le  plaisir  s'envole, 

Mais  mon  bonheur  ne  s'envole  aujourd'hui, 
Car  j'aime  encore,  et  l'amour  se  console; 

Rien  ne  pourrait  me  consoler  de  lui. 

Madame  d'Houdetot.    18 — ? 


FEMME  SENSIBLE 
Chant  du  barde  dans  Ariodant 

Femme  sensible,  extends-tu  le  ramage 
De  ces  oiseaux  qui  celebrent  leurs  feux? 

lis  font  redire  a  l'echo  du  rivage : 

Le  printemps  fuit,  hatez-vous  d'etre  heureux. 

Vois-tu  ces  fieurs,  ces  rleurs  qu'un  doux  Zephire, 

Va  caressant  de  son  souffle  amoreux? 
En  se  fanant  elles  semblent  te  dire: 

Le  printemps  fuit,  hatez-vous  d'etre  heureux. 

Moments  charmants  d'amour  et  de  tendresse, 
Comme  un  eclair  vous  fuyez  a  nos  yeux ; 

Et  tons  les  jours  perdus  dans  la  tristesse 

Nous  sont  comptes  comme  des  jours  heureux. 

Hoffman.  1800. 


228 


L' AMOUR 


In  youth  I  loved — the  time  of  my  fair  age, 

That  time  so  brief,  and  love  alone  rilled  it ; 
When  in  due  season  I  became  more  sage, 

I  yet  loved  on — reason  commended  it. 
Then  old  age  came,  and  pleasure  flew  away, 

But  happiness  has  not  yet  flown  from  me, 
For  I  love  still,  and  love  consoles  today, 

But,  lacking  it,  nothing  could  comfort  me. 


FEMME  SENSIBLE 
Chant  du  barde  daxs  Ariodant 

O  lady  sensitive,  dost  hear  the  birds. 

Their  passion  celebrate  with  warbling'  glee? 

The  echoing  shore  repeats  their  tuneful  words: 
"The  springtime  flies,  make  haste  and  happy  be." 

See'st  thou  the  flowers,  gentle  zephyrs  blow? 

With  loving  breath  they're  moved  caressingly; 
Fading  the  while,  they  seem  to  tell  thee  low ; 

'The  springtime  flies,  make  haste  and  happy  be." 

O  moments  sweet  of  love  and  tenderness. 
How  like  a  flash  before  our  eyes  you  flee! 

And  'gainst  our  years  are  counted  with  like  stress 
Days  sadly  lost  and  those  spent  happily. 


229 


CHANSON 


Viens  Aurore, 

Je  t'implore, 
Je  suis  gai  quand  je  te  voi. 

La  bergere 

Qui  m 'est  chere, 
Est  vermeille  comme  toi. 

De  rosee, 

Arrosee, 
La  rose  a  moins  de  fraicheur; 

Une  hermine 

Est  moins  fine ; 
Le  lait  a  moins  de  blancheur 

Pour  entendre 

Sa  voix  tehdre 
On  deserte  le  hameau ; 

Et  Tityre, 

Qui  soupire, 
Fait  taire  son  chalumeau. 

Elle  est  blonde, 

Sans  seconde ; 
Elle  a  la  taille  a  la  main ; 

Sa  prunelle 

Etincelle 
Comme  l'astre  du  matin. 

D'ambroisie, 

Bien  choisie, 
Hebe  la  nourrit  a  part ; 

Et  sa  bouclie, 

Quand  j'y  touch e. 
Me  parfume  de  nectar. 

Henri  IV.  13—? 


230 


CHANSON 


Dawn  of  day, 

Come  I  pray, 
I  am  glad  when  thee  I  see. 

The  milkmaid  near, 

Who's  my  dear, 
She  is  rosy  red  like  thee. 

Roses  new 

Wet  with  dew 
Are  less  fresh  to  sight; 

Ermine's  fur 

Less  fine  were ; 
Milk  is  not  so  white. 

Just  to  hear 
Her  voice  clear 

All  the  village  come ; 
And  Tityrus, 
Who  sighs  with  us, 

Leaves  his  reed-pipe  dumb. 

She  is  fair. 

Past  compare ; 
Form  and  feature  perfect  are; 

Her  eyes  bright 

Sparkle  light 
As  the  morning  star. 

With  heav'nly  food, 

Choice  and  good, 
Nursed  by  Hebe's  care ; 

On  her  lip. 

There  I  sip 
Nectar's  perfume  rare. 


231 


AUTRE  CHANSON 


L'aube  nait  et  ta  porte  est  close ! 

Ma  belle,  pourquoi  sommeiller? 
A  l'heure  on  s'eveille  la  rose 

Ne  vas-tu  pas  te  reveiller? 

O  ma  charmante, 

Ecoute  ici 
L'amant  qui  chante 

Et  pleure  aussi ! 

Tout  f  rappe  a  ta  porte  benie ; 

L'aurore  dit :  Je  suis  le  jour! 
L'oiseau  dit:  Je  suis  l'harmonie ! 

Et  mon  coeur  dit:  Je  suis  l'amour! 

O  ma  charmante, 

Ecoute  ici 
L'amant  qui  chante 

Et  pleure  aussi ! 

Je  t'adore  ange  et  t'aime  femme. 

Dieu  qui  par  toi  m'a  complete 
A  fait  mon  amour  pour  ton  ame 

Et  mon  regard  pour  ta  beaute! 

O  ma  charmante, 

Ecoute  ici 
L'amant  qui  chante 

Et  pleure  aussi ! 

Victor  Hugo. 


232 


AUTRE  CHANSON 


Morning  dawns,  thy  door  unclose ! 

Wherefore  sleepest  thou,  my  dear? 
At  the  hour  when  wakes  the  rose, 

Wilt  thou  not  awake  with  her? 

Charmer  fair, 

O  listen !  Here's 
A  love  to  share 

Thy  joys  and  tears. 

All  things  rap  on  thy  blest  door; 

Morning  says :  T  am  the  day ! 
Birds  their  harmonies  outpour. 

And  my  hearts  sings  love  alway! 

Charmer  fair, 

O  listen  !  Here's 
A  love  to  share 

Thy  joys  and  tears. 

Angel  adored  and  woman  loved! 

Heaven  which  by  thee  completes  me, 
For  thy  soul  has  given  me  love. 

And  for  thy  beautv,  eyes  to  see! 

Charmer  fair, 

O  listen !  Here's 
A  love  to  share 

Thy  jovs  and  tears. 


233 


LE  ROSIER 


Je  l'ai  plante,  je  l'ai  vu  naitre 

Ce  beau  Rosier  ou  les  oiseaux 
Viennent  chanter  sous  ma  fenetre, 

Perches  sur  ses  jeunes  rameaux. 

Joyeux  oiseaux,  troupe  amoureuse, 

Ah !  par  pitie  ne  chantez  pas ; 
L'amant  qui  me  rendait  heureuse, 

Est  parti  pour  d'autres  climats. 

Pour  les  tresors  du  nouveau  monde 

II  fuit  l'amour,  brave  la  mort. 
Helas!  pourquoi  chercher  sur  l'onde 

Le  bonheur  qu'il  trouvait  au  port. 

Vous,  passageres  hirondelles. 

Qui  revenez  chaque  printemps, 
Oiseaux  voyageurs,  mais  fideles, 

Ramenez-le  moi  tons  les  ans. 

De  Leyre.    17 — . 


234 


LE  ROSIER 


I  planted  it,  I  watched  it  grow. 

This  lovely  rosebush  where  birds  sing, 

Under  my  window  casement  low, 
In  its  young  branches  clustering. 

O  happy  birds,  O  loving  troop, 
For  pity's  sake.  Ah !  sing  no  more, 

My  love  who  made  my  life  complete 
Has  left  me  for  another  shore. 

From  love  he  flies,  and  death  he  braves, 
In  the  new  world  he'll  treasures  court. 

Alas!  why  seeks  he  o'er  the  waves 
The  good  he  might  find  here  in  port. 

Ye  swallows  swiftly  lost  to  view, 
Who  with  each  spring  again  appear 

Birds  of  travel,  yet  so  true. 
Bring  him  to  me  every  year. 


235 


CHANSON  DE  FORTUNIO 


So  vous  croyez  que  je  vais  dire 

Qui  j'ose  aimer, 
Je  ue  saurais,  pour  un  empire, 

Vous  la  nommer. 

Nous  allons  chanter  a  la  ronde. 

Si  vous  voulez, 
Que  je  l'adore  et  (ju'elle  est  blonde 

Comme  les  bles. 

Je  fais  ce  que  sa  fantaisie 

Veut  m'ordonner, 
Et  je  puis,  s'il  lui  faut  ma  vie, 

La  lui  donner. 

Du  mal  qu'une  amour  ignoree 

Nous  fait  souffrir, 
J'en  porte  Tame  dechiree 

Jusqu'a  mourir. 

Mais  j'aime  trop  pour  que  je  dis 

Qui  j'ose  aimer, 
Et  je  veux  mourir  pour  ma  mie 

Sans  la  nommer. 

Alfred  de  Musset.  1836. 


236 


CHANSON  DE  FORTUNIO 


If  you  suppose  that  I'll  tell  whom 

I  dare  love  true, 
I  could  not,  for  an  empire's  wealth, 

Name  her  to  you. 

An't  please  you,  we  will  sing  a  ronde. 

With  this  refrain, 
That  I  adore  her,  and  she's  blonde 

As  golden  grain. 

Whate'er  her  fancy  findeth  fit, 

To  do  I'm  rife, 
And  I  could,  had  she  need  of  it, 

Give  her  my  life. 

From  love  unknown  the  heart  forlorn 

111  suffereth. 
And  I  hear  mine,  distracted,  torn, 

E'en  unto  death. 

But  my  heart's  treasure's  far  above 

My  humble  lot. 
And  I  would  die  for  her  I  love 

And  name  her  not. 

Alfred  de  Musset.  1836. 

"Men  have  died  from  time  to  time,  and  worms  have  eaten  them, 
but  not  for  love." — As  You  Like  It  (Act  IV,  Scene  1). 


237 


STANCES 
(Last  Stanza) 


C'est  toujours  accord  ou  querelle : 

(O  miserable  que  je  suis!) 
Je  ne  saurais  vivre  avec  elle, 

Et  sans  elle  aussi  je  ne  puis. 

Jean  Desmarets. 


LE  BLASON  DE  LA  MARGUERITE 
(First  Stanza) 

En  avril  ou  naquit  amour, 
J'entrai  dans  son  jardin  un  jour, 
Ou  la  beaute  d'une  fleurette 
Me  plut  sur  celles  que  j'y  vis. 
Ce  ne  fut  pas  la  paquerette, 
L'oeillet,  la  rose  ni  le  lys : 
Ce  fut  la  belle  Marguerite, 
Ou'au  coeur  j'aurai  toujours  ecrite. 

Jean  de  la  Taille. 


Te  souvient-il  du  lac  tranquille 
Ou'effleurait  l'hirondelle  agile, 
Du  vent  qui  courbait  le  roseau 
Mobile, 

Et  du  soleil  couchant  sur  l'eau, 
Si  beau? 

Chateaubriand. 


238 


STANCES 


(Last  Stanza) 

It's  always  quarrel  or  forgive 
(O  miserable  is  my  lot!) 

I  don't  know  how  with  her  to  live, 
And  yet  without  her  I  cannot. 


LE  BLASON  DE  LA  MARGUERITE 
(First  Stanza) 

In  April's  month  when  love  was  born, 
I  in  his  garden  came  one  morn, 
Wherein  one  flow'ret's  beauty  rare 
Pleased  me  above  all  others  there. 
'Twas  not  the  blue-eyed  violet  sweet. 
Nor  pink,  nor  rose,  nor  lily  white : 
But  'twas  the  lovelv  Marguerite 
Which  in  my  heart  I  always  write. 


Do  mem'ries  wake  of  that  still  lake. 

Which  swift- winged  swallows  rippled  make, 

Where  roses  sway  in  balmy  air 

And  shake, 
And  sunlights  play  on  waters  there 

So  fair? 


239 


LE  CHANT  DU  CORDIER 


A  reculons,  a  petits  pas, 

Le  cordier  va,  chantant  tout  bas : 

Blonde  filasse  que  je  tire, 
Dis-nous  a  quoi  tu  serviras? 

Feras-tu  virer  un  navire, 

Boulinette,  drisse  ou  grand  bras? 

A  reculons,  a  petits  pas, 

Le  cordier  va,  chantant  tout  bas. 

Pendue  au  clocher  du  village, 
Feras-tu  sonner  le  bourdon, 

Enter  rem  ent  et  marriage, 

Messe  et  tocsin,  guerre  et  pardon? 

A  reculons,  a  petits  pas, 

Le  cordier  va,  chantant  tout  bas. 

Dans  la  plaine  ou  chaque  fillette 
Apporte  son  linge  a  secher, 

Berceras-tu  la  chemisette 

De  Madelon,  flenr  du  rocher? 

A  reculons,  a  petits  pas, 

Le  cordier  va,  chantant  tout  bas. 

Mais  las !  peut-etre  sur  la  dune, 

Ou  va  rodant  le  gabelou, 
Dois-tu  hisser  au  clair  de  lune 

Un  fraudeur  pendu  par  le  cou? 

A  reculons,  a  petits  pas, 

Le  cordier  va,  chantant  tout  bas. 


240 


LE  CHANT  DU  CORDIER 


Backward,  with  short  steps  and  slow. 
Goes  the  spinner  singing  low. 

Flaxen  thread,  which  I  twirl, 
Tell  us  what  shall  be  thy  place, 

Wilt  thou  serve  ships'  sails  to  furl, 
Halliard,  gear,  or  yard-arm  brace? 

Backward,  with  short  steps  and  slow, 
Goes  the  spinner  singing  low. 

In  belfrys  hung,  in  villages, 

Wilt  thou  sound,  till  time  shall  cease. 
Interments  and  marriages, 

Alarm  and  worship,  war  and  peace? 

Backward,  with  short  steps  and  slow, 
Goes  the  spinner  singing  low. 

On  the  plain,  where  maidens  yet, 
Garments  spread  to  dry  them  well. 

Wilt  thou  rock  the  chemisette 
Of  Madelaine,  the  village  belle? 

Backward,  with  short  steps  and  slow. 
Goes  the  spinner  singing  low. 

But  ah !  perhaps  upon  the  dune. 

Where  ride  excisemen  thieves  to  check. 

Thou  must  hoist  up,  in  light  of  moon, 
A  smuggler  hanging  by  the  neck? 

Backward,  with  short  steps  and  slow. 
Goes  the  spinner  singing  low. 


241 


Cord  a  noeud,  a  l'heure  tardive, 
Ou  se  serrent  ceux  qui  sont  deux, 

Seras-tu  l'echelle  furtive, 

D'un  voleur  ou  d'un  amoureux? 

A  reculons,  a  petits  pas, 

Le  cordier  va  chantant  tout  bas. 

Fais  mieux,  petite,  et  pour  ma  peine 
Rends-moi  jaloux  de  ton  destin, 

Corde  au  puits  ou  vient  Madelaine 
Puiser,  bras  nus,  soir  et  matin. 

A  reculons,  a  petits  pas, 

Le  cordier  va  chantant  tout  bas. 

A.  de  Belloy. 

PANDORE 
Ou  les  deux  Gendarmes 

Deux  gendarmes,  un  beau  dimanche, 

Chevauchaient  le  long  d'un  sentier ; 
L'un  portait  la  sardine  blanche, 

L'autre  le  jaune  baudrier. 
Le  premier  dit  d'un  ton  sonore : 

''Le  temps  est  beau  pour  la  saison. 
— Brigadier,  repondit  Pandore, 

Brigadier,  vous  avez  raison." 

Phoebus,  au  bout  de  sa  carriere, 

Put  encor  les  apercevoir ; 
Le  brigadier,  de  sa  voix  here, 

Troubla  le  silence  du  soir : 
"Vols,  dit-il  le  soleil  qui  dore 

Les  nuages  a  Thorizon. 
— Brigadier,  repondit  Pandore, 

Brigadier,  vous  avez  raison." 


242 


Knotted  cord,  at  hours  late, 

When  youthful  ardor  seeks  its  mate, 
Wilt  thou,  as  a  ladder  tall, 

Help  thief  or  lover  o'er  the  wall? 

Backward,  with  short  steps  and  slow, 
Goes  the  spinner  singing  low. 

Do  better  thread,  and  for  my  care 
Make  me  wish  thy  lot  to  share ; 

Well  rope  where  comes  Genevieve 

To  draw,  arms  bare,  at  morn  and  eve. 

Backward,  with  short  steps  and  slow, 
Goes  the  spinner  singing  low. 

PANDORE 
Ou  les  deux  Gendarmes 

Two  soldiers,  on  a  Sunday  fair. 

Were  riding  in  the  public  way, 
The  one  a  chevroned  sleeve  did  wear, 

The  other's  coat  made  less  display. 
The  first  said  in  sonorous  tone : 

"The  weather  for  the  season's  rine." 
"Corporal,"  says  the  other  one, 

"Corporal,  your  opinion's  mine." 

Phoebus  might  still,  at  close  of  day, 

Be  seen  where  sky  and  hilltop  meet ; 
The  Corporal,  in  his  haughty  way, 

Disturbed  the  evening  silence  sweet ; 
"See,"  said  he,  "how  the  setting  sun 

Gilds  clouds  on  the  horizon's  bar." 
"Corporal,"  said  the  other  one, 

"Corporal,"  said  he,  "right  you  are." 


243 


"Ah!  c'est  un  metier  difficile: 

Garantir  la  propriete; 
Defendre  les  champs  et  la  ville 

J)u  vol  et  de  finiquite! 
Pourtant,  l'epouse  qui  m'adore 

Repose  seule  a  la  maison. 
— Brigadier,  repondit  Pandore, 

Brigadier,  vous  avez  raison." 

"II  me  souvient  de  ma  jeunesse; 

Le  temps  passe  ne  revient  pas  . 
J'avais  une  folle  maitresse 

Pleine  de  merite  et  d'appas. 
Mais  le  coeur    .    .    .     (pourquoi  ?  je  Tignore 

Aime  a  changer  de  garnison. 
— Brigadier,  repondit  Pandore, 

Brigadier,  vous  avez  raison." 

"La  gloire,  c'est  une  couronne 

Faite  de  rose  et  de  laurier ; 
J'ai  servi  Venus  et  Bellone : 

Je  suis  epoux  et  brigadier. 
Mais  je  poursuis  ce  meteore 

Qui  vers  Colchos  guidait  Jason 
— Brigadier,  repondit  Pandore, 

Brigadier,  vous  avez  raison." 

"Puis,  ils  reverent  en  silence ; 

On  n'entendit  pins  que  le  pas 
Des  chevaux  marchant  en  cadence. 

Le  brigadier  ne  parlait  pas. 
Mais,  quand  revint  la  pale  aurore. 

On  entendit  un  vague  son ! 
— Brigadier,  repondit  Pandore, 

Brigadier,  vous  avez  raison." 

Gu  STAVE  X  ADA  U  X . 


244 


"Ah!  'tis  no  easy  task  I  do, 

Preserving  peace  and  property. 
Protecting  town  and  country,  too, 

Against  thieves  and  iniquity ! 
Meanwhile  my  wife's  at  home  alone. 

Though  she  adores  me,  I'm  afar." 
"Corporal,"  says  the  other  one, 

"Corporal,"  said  he,  "right  you  are." 

"I'm  thinking  of  my  youthful  days; 

The  time  once  passed  ne'er  comes  again, 
I  mind  a  foolish  mistress  ways. 

So  full  of  charm  and  merit  then. 
But  the  heart  (why?  to  me's  unknown), 

Loves  to  change  its  ruling  star." 
"Corporal,"  said  the  other  one, 

"Corporal,"  said  he,  "right  von  are." 

"Glory's  crown ;  what  is  it  more 

Than  roses  twined  with  laurel? 
I  serve  the  Gods  of  love  and  war, 

I'm  married,  and  a  corporal, 
But  still  that  meteor  leads  me  on. 

Which  Jason  led  to  Colchos  far." 
"Corporal,"  said  the  other  one, 

"Corporal,"  said  he,  "right  you  are." 

Then  mused  they  on  in  silence  deep ; 

And  naught  resounded  hut  the  tread 
Of  horses'  hoofs  in  rhythmic  beat, 

And  nothing  more  the  Corporal  said. 
But  when  the  day  began  to  dawn, 

One  might  have  heard  a  muffled  snore : 
"Corporal,"  said  the  other  one, 

"Corporal,"  said  he,  "right  you  are." 


245 


NOUVELLE  CHANSON  SUR  UN  VIEIL  AIR 


S'il  est  un  charmant  gazon 

Que  le  soleil  arrose, 
Ou  brille  en  toute  saison 

Quelque  fleur  eclose, 
Ou  Ton  cueille  a  pleine  main 
Lis,  chevrefeuille  et  jasmin, 
J 'en  veux  faire  le  chemin 

Ou  ton  pied  se  pose ! 

S'il  est  un  sein  bien  aimant 

Dont  l'lionneur  dispose ! 
Dont  le  ferme  devouement 

N'ait  rien  de  morose, 
So  tou jours  ce  noble  sein 
Bat  pour  un  digne  dessein! 
J'en  veux  faire  le  coussin 

Ou  ton  front  se  pose ! 

S'il  est  un  reve  d'amour, 

Parfume  de  rose, 
Ou  Ton  trouve  chaque  jour 

Quelque  douce  chose. 
Un  reve  que  Dieu  benit. 
Ou  l'ame  a  Tame  s'unit. 
Oh !  j'en  veux  faire  le  nid 

Ou  ton  coeur  se  pose ! 

Victor  Hugo.  183- 


246 


NOUVELLE  CHANSON  SUR  UN  VIEIL  AIR 


If  there  be  a  charming  green 

Where,  by  heaven's  dew  fed, 
Sparkling"  in  all  seasons  seen 
Flowers  fresh  are  spread, 
Where  one  gathers  with  free  hand 
Loveliest  lilies  in  the  land, 
There  a  pathway  I'd  command 
For  thy  foot  to  tread ! 

If  a  loving  breast  there  be. 

Wherein  honor  glows! 
Whose  devoted  constancy 

Nothing  morose  knows. 
If  that  noble  breast  and  rare 
Always  beat  with  purpose  fair, 
I  would  make  a  pillow  there 

For  thy  head's  repose! 

If  a  dream  of  love  there  be. 

Fragrant  as  the  rose. 
Where  each  day  may  fancy  see 

Something  sweet  unclose. 
Dream  of  heaven  blest  and  free. 
Soul  with  soul  in  unity, 
Such  the  nest  I'd  make  for  thee 

For  thy  heart's  repose! 


247 


MAILIED 


Es  kommt  ein  wundersamer  Knab' 
1st  durch  die  Welt  gegangen, 
Und  wo  er  geht,  bergauf,  bergab, 
Hebt  sich  ein  Glast  und  Prangen. 
In  frischem  Grim  stent  Feld  und  Thai, 
Die  Vogel  singen  allzumal, 
Ein  Bliithenschnee  und  Regen 
Fallt  nieder  allerwegen. 

Drum  singen  wir  im  Wald  dies  Lied 
Mit  Hei-und  Tralaleyen 
Wir  singen's,  weil  es  spriesst  und  bliiht, 
Als  Gruss  dem  jungen  Maien. 

Den  Mai  ergotzt  Gebrumm  und  Summ, 

1st  immer  guter  Laune, 

Drum  schwirren  durch  den  Tann  herum 

Die  Maienkafer  braune, 

Und  aus  dem  Moos  wachst  schnell  herfur 

Der  Fruhlingsblumen  schonste  Zier, 

Die  weissen  Glocken  lauten 

Den  Maien  ein  mit  Freuden. 

Drum  singen  wir  im  Wald  dies  Lied 
Mit  Hei-und  Tralaleyen 
Wir  singen's,  weil  es  spriesst  und  bliiht, 
Als  Gruss  dem  jungen  Maien. 

Jetzunder  denkt,  wer  immer  kann, 
Auf  Kurzweil,  Scherz  und  Minne ; 
Manch  einem  grauen  Biedermann 
Wird's  wieder  jung  zu  Sinne. 
Er  ruft  hiniiber  iiber'n  Rhein ; 
"Herzliebster  Schatz,  O  lass  mich  ein !" 
Und  hiiben  tont's  und  driiben : 
Im  ]\fai  da  ist  gut  lieben ! 


248 


SPRING  SONG 


A  youth  of  wonderful  renown 
Now  through  the  world  is  going, 

And  where  he  goes,  up  hill  or  down, 
Are  grace  and  splendor  showing. 

Fresh  green,  the  fields  and  valleys  bear, 

The  birds  are  singing  everywhere. 
A  rain  of  flower  blossoms  bright 
Falls  over  all  like  snow-flakes  white. 

So  in  the  woods  we  sing  this  song ; 

And,  tra-la-la  repeating, 
We  sing  the  buds  and  blooms  among, 

To  youthful  May  a  greeting. 

O  May  delights  in  murmuring  sound ; 

Hums  in  good  humor  ever ; 
Hears  from  the  fir  trees  all  around, 

The  locusts  shrill  endeavor ; 
While  mosses  in  quick  growth  present 
The  spring  flowers  loveliest  ornament, 

Whose  fairy  bells  so  white 

Ring  May  in  with  delight. 

So  in  the  woods  we  sing  this  song; 

And,  tra-la-la  repeating, 
We  sing  the  buds  and  blooms  among, 

To  youthful  May  a  greeting. 

Now  each  one  thinks,  as  each  one  can, 

Of  jest  or  lore  revealing, 
And  many  a  gray  old  worthy  man 

Is  young  again  in  feeling; 
Again  he  calls,  far  o'er  the  Rhine, 
O  let  me  in  hearts  treasure  mine! 

And  sounds  arise  from  over  there  * 

In  May  'tis  good  one's  love  to  share ! 

Echoes  rare  ring  over  there. 


249 


Drum  singen  wir  im  Wald  dies  Lied 
Mit  Hei-und  Tralaleyen 
Wir  singen's,  weil  es  spriesst  und  bluht, 
Als  Gruss  dem  jungen  Maien. 

— Der  Trumpeter  von  Sakkingen, 

SCHEFFEL. 


O  wende  nicht  den  scheuen  Blick 
Und  fleuch  nicht  zag  und  bange, 

Kehr  zum  Balkone  keck  zuriick 
Und  lausche  meinem  Sange. 

Vergeblich  Miih'n,  mir  zu  entfliehn. 

Ich  blase  ruhig  weiter, 
Da  werden  meine  Melodieen 

Zur  wundersamen  Leiter. 

Auf  der  Accorde  Sprossen  schwingt 

Die  Lieb  empor  sich  leise, 
Durch  Schloss  und  Riegel  zu  dir  klingt 

Dann  wiederum  die  Weise. 


Die  Welt  ist  nicht  von  Leder, 
Im  Tannwald  wachst  kein  Stroh, 

Als  lnstiger  Trompeter 
Blas  ich  halli.  hallo! 

Das  jubelt,  schallt  und  larmet, 

Das  ist  ein  heir  Geton : 
Wer  sich  des  Klanges  harmet, 

Der  mag  in's  Kloster  gehn. 


250 


So  in  the  woods  we  sing  this  song ; 

And,  tra-la-la  repeating, 
We  sing  the  buds  and  blooms  among. 

To  youthful  May  a  greeting. 


O  turn  not  with  shy  look  away, 
As  fear  thy  flight  were  winging; 

Come  back  unto  the  balcony 
And  listen  to  my  singing. 

Vain  trouble  thus  from  me  to  flee. 

For  I  but  keep  on  blowing. 
And  from  my  melody  there'll  be 

A  wondrous  ladder  growing. 

From  tuneful  chords  the  rundles  spring 
On  which  love  leaps  up  lightly, 

Through  bars  and  bolts  the  measures  ring 
Until  they  reach  thee  rightly. 


The  world's  not  made  of  leather. 

No  straws  on  fir  trees  grow, 
A  merry  bugler,  ever 

I  blow  halli,  hallo! 

With  joyous  sounds,  so  tuneful, 
Clear  echoing,  high  or  low : 

Who  finds  the  twanging  harmful. 
Let  him  to  Cloisters  go. 


251 


Sonne  taucht  in  Meeresrluthen, 
Himmel  blitzt  in  letzten  Gluthen, 
Langsam  will  der  Tag  verscheiden. 
Feme  Abendglocken  lauten — 
Dein  gedenk  ich,  Margaretha. 

Haupt  gelehnt  auf  Felsens  Kante, 
Fremder  Mann  in  fremden  Lande, 
Urn  den  Fuss  die  Wellen  schaumen, 
Durch  die  Seele  zieht  ein  Traumen — 
Dein  gedenk  ich,  Margaretha. 


252 


The  setting  sun  dips  in  the  sea, 
The  sky  with  his  last  glory  gleams, 
Now  slowly  fades  the  day  from  me, 
The  evening  hell  far  distant  seems — 
Of  thee  I'm  thinking,  Margaretta. 

With  head  reclined  on  rocky  strand, 
A  stranger  in  a  foreign  land, 
Ahout  my  feet  the  billows  foam, 
Through  my  spirit  fancies  roam — 
Of  thee  I'm  thinking,  Margaretta. 


253 


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